ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9604010045
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: A.W. HAUSLOHNER LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
WHAT'S IT LIKE to be in Bosnia? A helicopter pilot from Grayson County writes home about the beautiful landscape, the burned-out villages, terrified civilians and Serbs impressed by American armor.
``It's my bed time, and the kerosene heater I'm using for light is running out of fuel. Please take care...'' Warrant Officer 2nd Class Mark Edward Patton winds down a January letter to his parents, Ed and Carolyn Patton of Grayson County.
The helicopter pilot was sent to Bosnia in January with U.S. forces on a peacekeeping mission. Fifty-six days later, he got his first shower. (Up to that point, he got a weekly sponge bath.)
Mark Patton graduated from Oak Hill Academy in 1984. His father is president of the Baptist-affiliated private boarding school at Mouth of Wilson.
The son graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in forestry in 1990, "but all along, he always wanted to fly helicopters," says his mother. "After high school, I bargained with him, `Just finish two years of college and get that behind you, then you can fly.'
``He finished two years and still wanted to fly, so I argued for, `Get your four-year degree first, and then you can fly.'
``So he got his four-year degree and still wanted to fly. I finally recognized that he was not going to outgrow this desire to fly helicopters.''
Patton served in the reserves during his last two years at Tech. He got his helicopter training at Fort Rucker in Alabama, then was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
He was to have begun a three-year tour of duty in Germany in December, when peace negotiations in Bosnia charted a different course.
Patton moved his wife, Colleen Hill Patton, and young daughter to Germany in December. He departed immediately for Bosnia, where he flies a 58 Delta Kiowa helicopter equipped with Stinger missiles and 50mm machine gun.
"It's a real small helicopter," his mother says. "They used to be scouts - unarmed."
In a series of letters home, Mark Patton describes life in the eight-man tent, the missions that he flies and the countryside - which he finds very similar to his Grayson County home:
``19 Jan 96 - Dear Mom and Dad,
"We have begun our mission of flying the ZOS [Zone of Separation]. So far everything is going well. The Serbs appear to be complying with the peace accord. They have moved most of their heavy equipment back from the ZOS with the exception of some mortar positions...
"We flew early morning on the 17th. We reconned a route deep into the mountains to find Serb strongholds and escort ground forces to those positions. Serb soldiers were everywhere with rifles slung over their shoulders.
"They watched our helicopters in awe as we flew above their small compound. They showed no hostile intent toward us and even waved to us. We waved back but kept a cautious eye out for anything unusual, and I don't think we will be engaged by the Serbs.
"They know we are here in peace and that they are clearly outmatched by our forces. It's also fairly obvious that both sides are tired of fighting. The country, in places, is completely destroyed. People forced out and their homes burned. But other places are virtually untouched.
"Their country is beautiful. Mostly mountainous, it looks exactly like the higher elevations in the Appalachians. Most of the population is spread out just like at home but their farming is very underdeveloped.
"They still stack their hay and shuck their corn. Most families have a milk cow, a tractor or horse-drawn cart, sheep, dogs, cats - it looks almost exactly like ... the Appalachians did 100 years ago.
"Families don't go out to eat or go to the movies. They don't take vacations or take their boats to the lake on weekends. They just survive. They are so poor they just squeeze out another day of life by taking whatever the land will provide for them.
"They might ride their tractor to the nearest town once every couple of weeks. For some it can be as far away as Independence is for us. I keep making correlations with families I grew up with as a boy ... and have a lot of respect for their determination in living how they do. But for most, it's just the only way of life they have ever known.
"I'm doing fine. I could use a hot bath and a good meal, but I'm staying warm and sleeping well. We have plywood floors now and only eight men per tent, which has helped provide more living space...
"We should have showers, dining facility and latrines within two weeks. Until then, it's a sponge bath on Saturdays!
"I try to stay busy when I'm not flying by reading, writing or planning for the next day's mission. I got your letter yesterday. Thanks for the articles."
From another letter, dated at the end of January:
"There's a lot of bunkers and trenches in the high country, mostly deserted now. Occasionally someone will come out. Some families still hide or use the bunkers for protection. Some use it as a warming hut while they cut wood for burning. Most of the males wear some kind of fatigue-type clothing.
"It's impossible to tell who the real soldiers are. Even the guy with a Nike shirt is suspect. But still there have been no hostilities. Let's hope it stays that way.
"The mountains in the south, Red Team's sector, are the highest in the region. Peaks reach upward of 5,000 feet. It makes for some of the most beautiful flying most of us have ever flown.
"We're usually above the front line so the peaks rise boldly to the sky with white caps glistening in the sun. I feel right at home.
"Tomorrow we begin flying our shift from midnight 'til noon. Talk about a graveyard shift. Red team is first in the chute for a goggle mission at 3 in the morning. I'm excited and a little concerned. The mountains are high and tend to fog in during the early morning hours.
"I can just see us now being forced to land in some farmer's back yard. Hopefully he's friendly and willing to trade cigarettes for the chickens we would undoubtedly kill from sheer panic at our helos.''
He closes this letter speaking of the difficulty of making phone calls, and of his wife and daughter, Jillian.
"I'll call when we finally get phones. Right now we can only call Germany on a morale line that's not very good. But I did manage to get through on Jillian's birthday and tell her and Colleen I love them and miss them.
"I missed my daughter's first birthday. Love, Mark."
A letter dated Feb. 20 says the weather's keeping activity to a minimum:
"Sounds like you're dealing with a pretty fierce winter yourself.
"Our flights are down to a trickle because of the eternal bad weather. It's either foggy or snowing or raining all the time. I haven't seen the sun twice all month. Right now it's raining and the wind has blown like a freight train.
"There were times during another sleepless night I thought the tent would blow away. Several AA's reported blown-away tents during the night but none of ours blew down.
"The mud continues to be our worst enemy. It is so bad that even tanks are becoming stuck in the quagmire, and unless your truck is a heavy 4-by-4, you're not going anywhere.
"But I'm dealing with it. There's nothing you can do about the weather, and there's no use getting worked up about it."
A letter dated March 5 speaks of an encounter with the Serbs.
"We landed. The Serb general was big and a very proud man. He was professional and accommodating to our colonel's wishes. He tried not to look too impressed with our helos but you could tell he was in total awe of our capabilities. So we showed off, spoke through an interpreter and flew away.
"I would like to know what he was thinking and how he felt about our forces. I'm sure there is some resentment. But there is something about the people here on both sides that says `We have had enough war.' You can sense the relief they feel by our presence.
``The Balkans have been plagued by warfare for nearly 1,000 years. Since the Roman Empire and the invasions of Attila the Hun, they have known but fleeting moments of peace.
"I see the horrible face of war painted across this rugged landscape. Houses burned and full of mortar holes. I can picture the cold nights of artillery bringing fire, destruction and screams that pierce the darkness. I can see frightened parents scrambling to scoop their children up from their beds and flee into the night, running from barbarians they cannot see.
"If they were lucky enough to survive the onslaught or being captured and tortured they wound up as one of the hundreds of thousands of refugees without a home and everything they own destroyed.
"I can't help but wonder how many may be buried in mass graves beneath our skids. It's really quite sobering to experience such somber circumstances. I look at things through the eyes of a parent now. To witness what has happened would have a deep effect on anyone who has a family.
"It makes the saying `There but for the grace of God go I' really mean what it says. I pray God will grace the Balkans with peace.
"I'm briefing a mission in the morning so I need to close. Don't worry about me. Everything is going pretty good, especially knowing Jillian isn't sick anymore and Colleen will have David and Sharon for company soon.
"Take care, and I'm thinking of you all. Love, Mark."
After six months in Bosnia - in June - Mark Patton may get seven days' leave to see his family in Schweinfurt, Germany.
Anyone interested in writing Mark Patton may write CW2 Mark E. Patton, D Troop 1/4 Cavalry, 2BCT, Operation Joint Endeavor, APO AE 09789.
LENGTH: Long : 166 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Warrant Officer 2nd Class Mark Edward Patton with hisby CNBKiowa helicopter in Bosnia. Patton has been with the peacekeeping
mission there since January. color.