By Pvt. Melissa R. Bernazzani
 1st Infantry Division PAO, Task Force Falcon, Kosovo

      U.S. Army paratroopers are "on point" in the Kosovar 
 city of Vitina and its surrounding towns, patrolling the
 streets as part of Task Force Falcon's peacekeeping
 mission.

      Soldiers of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute
 Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg,
 N.C., have secured the vital buildings of Vitina, such as the
 city hall, an Albanian records building, the city museum,
 hospital, utility building and a former Serbian police
 station.

      "We are here as the police force to enforce peace," said
 Capt. Matthew W. McFarlane, Company A's commander.
 McFarlane's unit is using a former Serbian police station
 and an office building in Vitina as a sleeping area and
 command post.

      According to McFarlane, his unit's biggest challenge
 involves dealing with the hatred that exists between some
 elements of Kosovo's civilian population.

      "The Serbians say the Albanians are threatening them,
 and the Albanians say that the Serbians are the threat,"
 said McFarlane. "We can't be everywhere at once."

      The 82nd Airborne soldiers are providing military
 presence patrols in vehicles or on foot, day and night. As
 part of their peacekeeping role, McFarland's soldiers have
 been tasked to find and secure visible threatening forces.
 However, his troops are not authorized to search civilian
 homes for weapons.

      The patrols gather information about the Kosovo
 population, which will help in determining potential
 problems in the troubled Balkan province. The squads
 inform their chain of command -- during and after patrols
 -- of any incidents and unexplained ordnance in the towns,
 said Staff Sgt. Rafael Rivera, squad leader.

      "Presence patrols are to ensure we are upholding the
 military technical agreement," said Staff Sgt. Juan G.
 Arreola, airborne infantryman. "We take automatic
 weapons from anyone ... to secure peace [so] the refugees
 [can] come home."

      Black Hawk helicopters patrol from above containing
 soldiers who are trained to respond quickly to situations
 that call for backup troops.

      Arreola said Company A's paratroopers "are doing a
 good job" in Kosovo.

      "It's exciting," said Pfc. Joseph M. Kress, airborne
 infantryman, when describing how it felt to be a part of
 Task Force Falcon. "We are here to help people's lives get
 back on track, and make everyone equal."

 (EDITOR'S NOTE: Bernazzani is an Army journalist
 assigned to the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office
 in support of Task Force Falcon in Kosovo.)

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