By Snake*

*About the author please  refer to CV on Chapter XVI, p. 123 

“Saying goodbye  to this mission is both tough and easy. It’s tough especially when you have really put yourself in.  It’s easy when you really deserve to have a long good break.”

                                      Snake

Preface

The “book” consisting of my own serious and not so serious writings, is intended as a token of appreciation for lack of anything  to give to  people whom I had great respect and admiration.

It is an assortment as the title implies of the realities including almost anything that has kept me going in my one year tour in this peacekeeping mission.

As I dedicate this to the people of East Timor and to all members of the Peace Keeping Force, I take so much pride for the best outcome of this global effort as everyone else would wish as having been an indispensable part of a history in the making.

I also dedicate this to my wife Deborah and my kids Billy Jack, Debbie Joy and Cathy Joy, who have also long endured to survive by themselves despite the daily odds of life.

I just hope that you may find this worthy of your time.

See you again in the future…

                                                                        The Author

16 August 2001

PI Cell,  PKF

Dili, East Timor

Acknowledgment

I’d like to thank Lt. Col. Tor Aarnseth, our Chief and my colleagues at the PI Cell, namely,  Major Seung Kang, Captain Khanungkitkong Wuttichai and Captain Jeff Squire including  those who already left the mission such as Lt. Co. Brynjar Nymo, Major Byun, Captain John Liston and Captain Kast,  for  their support and hardwork in the  overall success of the PI campaign.

To my fellow Filipino PKF Staffs subtly referred to as the “Seven Dwarfs” namely,  Major  Florentino Rasco, Major Ruben Llemit, Major Pedro Ancanan, Major Henry Robinson and Major Jones Agustin, for the goodtimes together.

I also thank Lt. Col. Dante Balao, the former Chief Plans of PKF for his prodding  on me to write. 

And to Lt. Col. Carlos Quita, Chief Plans PKF,  who has always been a good father of the group.

And to all,  who in one way or another have made this possible.

Copyright

The author shall have the exclusive copyright of any part of this book.  It shall not be reproduced to be sold for profit without  his  written consent. 

DISCLAIMER 

Some parts of the book do not in anyway reflect the official stand of the Peacekeeping Force in East Timor but merely  impressions of the writer in his personal capacity. 

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………..1

Chapter I: Veni Vidi Vici………………….2

Chapter II:  Good News Bad News……. 4

Chapter III:  Discovery Pages…………..19

Chapter IV:  Touching their Lives……...20

Chapter V: Pure Imaginings…………….28

Chapter VI:  My Troubled Mind…………71

Chapter VII: The Green Mind……………76

Chapter VIII: A La Holiday Inn………...103

Chapter IX: Small is Beautiful………...108

Chapter X: For the Heck of It………….110

Chapter XI:  Snafu not Uncommon…..112

Chapter XII:  Unforgettable Moments..114

Chapter XIII: The Human Side………...116

Chapter XIV: Point of Departure……...117

Chapter XV: Who’s Who……………….118

Chapter XVI: The Whole of Me………..123

x     x                                                                                                                           x       ..   i.i