The Maryland Defense Force Deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina
By Collin Mayfield
Only 11 years after the violence and genocide of the Bosnian War ended, and peace was achieved between the warring factions of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia, members of the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) deployed to the fragile Balkan nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina alongside the Maryland Air National Guard. This was the MDDF’s first deployment outside United States sovereignty.
The humanitarian mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina fell under the larger purview of the Maryland-Bosnia and Herzegovina National Guard Partnership. This relationship between Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of 22 partnerships within the US European Command State Partnership Program (EUCOM SPP) – a National Guard program that pairs US states with European partner nations to support the security cooperation objectives of the US European Command (EUCOM).
Lt Col. Phillip Brown of the 175th Medical Group meets with soldiers of the Bosnian Armed Forces before patients arrive at a medical clinic established under the Maryland-Bosnia and Herzegovina National Guard Partnership. Photo by Spc. Loni Kingston.
Maryland-Bosnia and Herzegovina National Guard Partnership
The Maryland-Bosnia and Herzegovina National Guard Partnership is one of EUCOM’s State Partnerships. Nations within the EUCOM SSP are all either former Soviet Republics, Yugoslav or Warsaw Pact nations.
While furthering EUCOM’s security objectives, the program also builds lasting military-to-military relationships. This ensures cooperation between nations while increasing partnership capacity. The National Guard’s civilian nature, as opposed to active duty troops, permits the SPP to conduct cooperative activities like counterdrug operations, disaster preparedness, border security and humanitarian assistance that otherwise may not have been possible. Furthermore, the program helps prevent failed-states and adds to the stability of participating nations – indispensable in a country with entrenched divisions like Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, neither a member of NATO or the European Union, has been a part of the Maryland-Bosnia partnership since it was established in 2003. The partnership has been essential in helping the country’s postbellum military integration and ongoing accession into NATO.
Maryland National Guard units train with the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and support the country’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) objectives; PfP is a NATO program aimed at creating trust between NATO members.
Maryland’s former adjutant general, Army Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins described the Maryland-Bosnia and Herzegovina Partnership as building the capacity of Bosnian forces while further facilitating their accession into NATO. The partnership, he said, “builds relationships at the squad, platoon and company level” that help overcome the country’s deep sectarian divides.
A Fractured Nation
The sectarian violence of the Bosnian War ended in 1995 with the signing of the Dayton Accords. Former enemies at war, the Bosniak Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) and the Croat Croatian Defence Council (HVO) merged in 1995 to form the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Bosniak-Croat Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VFBiH) and the Bosnian Serbs’ Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), were integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in 2006.
Of all institutions within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Armed Forces are the best integrated and most effective. However, the Armed Forces are not immune to the precarious situation that exists between Bosnia and Herzegovina and its semi-autonomous constituent entity of Republika Srpska.
Within the European Area of Responsibility (AOR), Bosnia and Herzegovina is in a uniquely precarious situation. Bosnia and Herzegovina is made of two separate component entities – the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska. These entities hold different visions for the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and although conflict is unlikely, Republika Srpska has threatened secession several times – including in 2022. This political gridlock between the constituent entities makes the Armed Forces somewhat ungovernable and difficult to reform, though the partnership with Maryland helps.
Maryland Deployed to the Balkans
In July 2006, members of 10th Medical Regiment of the MDDF deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina with the 175th Medical Group of the Maryland Air National Guard. Those soldiers of the MDDF deployed voluntarily; the MDDF is not subject to any deployment outside the state of Maryland.
Functioning in two-week increments of the course of a month, the 10th Medical Regiment and 175th Medical Group provided medical aid and basic examinations to Bosnian citizens living in isolated, mountainous villages. The Marylanders worked in conjunction with soldiers of the Bosnian Armed Forces. Many translators were necessary for the mission; Bosnia has three national languages – Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian.
The scars of the Bosnian War, part of the wider break-up of Yugoslavia, was still apparent to Maryland Air Guard and Defense Force troops. Commander of the 175th Medical Group, Lt. Col. Phillip Brown, explained that the Bosnian economy suffered long after the war ended with the Dayton Accords in 1995. When Maryland troops deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, half of the population still lacked jobs, and very few Bosnians had access to even the lowest standard of medical care.
In total, 80 of Maryland’s soldiers and airmen deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the relief mission. These included medics, nurses, dentists, optometrists, physicians and physicians’ assistants. According to Lt. Col. Brown, most of those medical professionals work in healthcare on a daily basis – whether in civilian or military sectors. The US Air Force also provided the mission with $70,000 for medicines.
Groundwork for the mission was extensive. A week prior to the mission, a reconnaissance team went to Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure that the sites for the medical clinics were ready.
Senior Master Sgt. Steve Bloodsworth, senior health technician for the 175th Medical Group, explained that Bosnian citizens were informed of the humanitarian mission through radio announcements and flyers.
“We embarked upon two site surveys, worked with local non-government organizations, with the local embassy and officials from Eagle Base, Tuzla, [Bosnia and Herzegovina],” Lt. Col. Steven Benden, commander of the 175th Security Forces Squadron (ANG) explained.
“[We] went to each area and selected schools and/or community centers to set up the medical mission.”
Remote Bosnian villages assisted during the mission include Banovići Selo, Skugric, Luka, Poljice and others.
Every day, the Maryland Air Guard and Defense Force traveled to remote villages to build impromptu clinics with what little supplies were available. Clinics were established in public buildings like community centers and school buildings. Others were outdoors.
Maj. Charlotte Radu assists Col. Stan Minken as he stitches a patient in a makeshift, outdoor medical clinic. Photo by Spc. Loni Kingston.
Some Bosnians walked miles for treatment in the clinics; people walked all day for what little medical care was newly available.
Semsudin Mujic, mayor of the village of Luka, said curtly, “there is practically no health care available.”
During triage, that is determining the urgency of an ailment to decide the order in which patients receive treatment, interpreters helped villagers complete medical paperwork. After this, patients were treated with the apropos care – be it dental, general practice, optometry or urgent care. Some patients were even helped at multiple clinics.
A Bosnian boy waits in a clinic while his father has his blood pressure taken. Photo by Spc. Loni Kingston.
2nd Lt. Julian Olivares takes vital signs. Photo by Spc. Loni Kingston.
Tooth rot was a common ailment, as was decried by Lt. Col. Rita Kurek – a dentist of the 175th Medical Group.
“Small children have rampant decay; a lot of adults are already missing many of their teeth … My job is to provide basic dental care, help them understand what is causing their decay and teach them preventative measures,” said Lt. Col. Kurek.
At a community center in Banovići Selo, Master Sgt. Airmen of the 175th Medical Group taught a class to local children on oral hygiene. They also distributed toothpaste and toothbrushes.
Master Sgt. Monika Russo and Staff Sgt. Lisa Miller teach a class about oral hygiene to Bosnian children. Photo by Spc. Loni Kingston.
Major medical issues described by Staff Sgt. Robert Davis, a medical laboratory technician with the 175th Medical Group, were diabetes and urinary tract infections. Medical technicians like Staff Sgt. Davis assessed these conditions, among others, through clinical chemistry testing.
After treatment, villagers were out-processed or received medicine from the mission’s makeshift pharmacies.
A Bosniak woman has her eyesight restored after being prescribed glasses. Airman 1st Class Jocelyn Campbell ensures the prescription is correct. Photo by Spc. Loni Kingston.
The Maryland Air National Guard and Defense Force had two objectives with the humanitarian mission. The first objective was to provide Maryland’s troops with real-world training, outside the normal annual training endured by guard units and defense forces. The second was to give medical care to those in need. Maryland’s troops accomplished both goals.
By the end of the month-long mission, the Maryland Air National Guard and Maryland Defense Force cared for approximately 2083 patients in 17 different Bosnian villages. On average, the mission treated 200 patients daily. Some of the villagers had never been treated by a medical professional prior to the Maryland deployment.
Of those treated, Lt. Col. Brown said this: “It’s a drop in a bucket, but it’s a drop … It’s a step in the right direction. You have to start somewhere.”
Special thank you to Collin Mayfield for developing this article.
