Friday, June 20, 2008
Awful news
Last night, I heard on the news that a EUFOR helicopter belonging to the Spanish EUFOR contingent went down, near Novi Travnik. Four people died in the crash.
As if it wasn't bad enough being in a helicopter that went down, on a routine flight, the chopper went down in a minefield.
The crew member who called in that they had a problem only spoke Spanish. Not that many Bosnians speak Spanish. (Surprising considering the HUGE number of soaps from Latin American countries!)
So he could not make himself understood.
The fact the helicopter crashed in a minefield made matters dicey. Appropriate people had to be called in to clear a path to the crash.
As well no one could report directly from the scene or film the story 'for reasons of security'.
So there were interviews with the usual distraught, often elderly villagers.
*******************
The other awful news story involves a Bosnian who died in Afghanistan, working for KBR.
I have probably mentioned before that KBR recruits heavily here. The ads I have seen are all in English. So I am assuming knowing English is desired, if not required of those Bosnians who do apply for this sort of position. The guy was a driver and was killed by what has come to be called a 'roadside bomb'.
KBR messed up the paper work. The American Embassy did become involved, and the unfortunate man's body is being brought back here. It may actually already be here. The body was stuck in Kuwait. It was shipped by military transport to Turkey, and then Sarajevo.
People who go to work for companies like KBR do know it is a risk, people here are not always able to get work, they will try all sorts of things. KBR doesn't pay non-Americans the same kind of money, but it is still from a Bosnian point of view, good pay.
There was no comment from KBR, there was film of the phone call to KBR, and the 'we don't have any comment, I don't know anything' response.
As if it wasn't bad enough being in a helicopter that went down, on a routine flight, the chopper went down in a minefield.
The crew member who called in that they had a problem only spoke Spanish. Not that many Bosnians speak Spanish. (Surprising considering the HUGE number of soaps from Latin American countries!)
So he could not make himself understood.
The fact the helicopter crashed in a minefield made matters dicey. Appropriate people had to be called in to clear a path to the crash.
As well no one could report directly from the scene or film the story 'for reasons of security'.
So there were interviews with the usual distraught, often elderly villagers.
*******************
The other awful news story involves a Bosnian who died in Afghanistan, working for KBR.
I have probably mentioned before that KBR recruits heavily here. The ads I have seen are all in English. So I am assuming knowing English is desired, if not required of those Bosnians who do apply for this sort of position. The guy was a driver and was killed by what has come to be called a 'roadside bomb'.
KBR messed up the paper work. The American Embassy did become involved, and the unfortunate man's body is being brought back here. It may actually already be here. The body was stuck in Kuwait. It was shipped by military transport to Turkey, and then Sarajevo.
People who go to work for companies like KBR do know it is a risk, people here are not always able to get work, they will try all sorts of things. KBR doesn't pay non-Americans the same kind of money, but it is still from a Bosnian point of view, good pay.
There was no comment from KBR, there was film of the phone call to KBR, and the 'we don't have any comment, I don't know anything' response.
# posted by Katja R. @ 2:39 AM 
