by Cpl. Chris DeHart and Spc. Ashley Abbott

        UROSEVAC, Kosovo (Army News Service, Aug. 25, 1999) --
Two units in Kosovo have adopted schools and have begun
rebuilding both the physical structure of the schools and the
lives of the students.
        "To us, these children are the future of Kosovo; it is
important to get them in school," said 1st Sgt. Luis Prosper of
Service Battery, 1-7th Field Artillery.  His unit adopted a
school on the outskirts of Urosevac.
        Their first challenge was gathering supplies through any
means available to start making the school habitable.  According
to Prosper, local organizations and soldiers' families donated
all of the money and supplies. They bought paint, nails, wood
and other building supplies and worked side-by-side with the
townspeople to repair windows, paint walls and fix the plumbing.
        "U.S. forces saw that we didn't have equipment to run
the school, and that the children didn't have a place to sit. We
appreciate help from them. Without their help, we wouldn't be
able to help the children," said Naim Drugtani, school official
for the Liria Shkolla, which means "Freedom School."
        The 127th Military Police Company adopted the Gjon
Serecci school, the largest primary school in Kosovo. Its
primary subject is music instruction and teaches students in
grades one through eight.
        According to 1st Sgt. Terry McManus, 127th MP Co., the
school presents a large project due to the extensive damage it
suffered during the NATO air strikes. The school was, for the
most part, completely gutted by looters. Toilets, sinks,
furniture and windows were on the list of structural-damaged
items. The estimated cost to repair the school  nearly topped
50,000 Deutsch-marks.
        "We are basically starting from scratch. The parents had
to collect up money every month just to pay the teachers,"
McManus said. "We have since cleaned up the schoolyard and much
of the debris inside and are beginning to paint the walls now."
        The soldiers with 127th MP Co. donate a few hours before
or after their regular eight-hour shift to help out the school,
according to McManus.
One student at Gjon Serecci expressed how she felt about the
help the school was receiving:  "I am impressed. The soldiers
and the Army are doing a great job. I am glad they are here,"
Halime Jakupaj, a 19 year-old senior, said.
Since the MPs have fixed some of the pianos, Jakupaj said she
can continue practicing for the music university she will
attend.
        Sabri Berisha, principal of Gjon Serecci, said, "We are
all very happy that we finally have an army that will help us
and not destroy what we have. This is the beginning of very good
cooperation between the school and the Army, and it is getting
better. We hope that after all of this, we will be ready for
Sept. 1."
        Together local townspeople and task force soldiers
ensure that the future of Kosovo is not only safe but secure in
preparing the children to make their lives their own.
        "A big part of our mission is community relations. This
sort of brings it to the forefront since this involves half the
population of Urosevac," McManus said. "The children are
innocent victims of the previous regime. We are just helping
them get their lives back in order."
        (Editor's note: Cpl. Chris DeHart and Spc. Ashley Abbott
are staff members of the Task Force Falcon PAO.)