by Staff Sgt. Blake R. Waltman

        CAMP BONDSTEEL, UROSEVAC, Kosovo (Army News Service,
Aug. 2, 1999)  - Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera walked the
streets of Kosovo during a patrol with 82nd Airborne Division
soldiers July 28 and got a first-hand look at how American
soldiers are maintaining the peace.
        During the three-kilometer trek, Caldera observed
Company B, 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
soldiers interacting with both Serb and Albanian citizens and
had nothing but praise for the paratroopers.
        "The main thing I want to say to our soldiers is how
proud I am of their service and how impressed I am with what
they've accomplished already," said Caldera.  "All Americans
ought to get a chance to see the kind of rapport our soldiers
have established with the people here in Kosovo."
        Caldera and the squad of infantrymen walked through the
once-empty, downtown streets, where cafes and shops now flourish
with customers and children gather around just to shake hands
with soldiers.
        "This is a great mission which our soldiers do very well
because they are a people-oriented force that can connect with
the civilian population," Caldera said.
        Staff Sgt. John C. Harrell, squad leader, lead Caldera
through the city passing through both Albanian and Serb
neighborhoods and stopping at static security positions
throughout the route.
        "He wanted to know everything about our mission," said
Harrell.  "He was very easy to talk to and seemed truly
interested in every aspect of our mission."
        During the patrol Caldera spoke with a Serbian man who
was attacked by fellow Serbs for protecting the homes of his
Albanian neighbors who fled the city before KFOR troops arrived.
He still resides in his community, but now his mostly Albanian
neighbors protect him, said Harrell.
        "The stage is set for helping all the people of Kosovo
to begin to rebuild their lives, to begin to build a society
that's based on respecting human dignity and human rights," said
Caldera.  "The people of Kosovo need to step up to the plate and
seize this opportunity to build a better future."
        Caldera's visit to the region included troops and field
commanders in Albania and Bosnia, as well as a stop in Europe
where he visited soldiers and their families.
        (Editor's note: Waltman is a journalist with the 49th
Public Affairs Detachment (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division,
Fort Bragg, N.C.)