By Juliette Terzieff
 NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE

Hot coffee, stray chickens and errant pepper spray. American  peacekeepers are finding life isn’t quite as they expected on the Balkans frontline. A Web exclusive

               March 21 —  Pfc. Peter Amico looks out over a small
               valley that separates Kosovo from Macedonia.
               Along with his fellow American GIs, who sit atop
               an Avenger outfitted with a thermal tracking
               facility, he watches an elderly man and three
               donkeys struggling to cross the rugged landscape.
               “It’s been pretty quiet actually,” remarks the
               19-year-old Virginia native. “Much better than I
               thought it would be.”

                                 A month ago KFOR troops barely paid any notice to
                         the quiet mountain village of Debelde. But when clashes
                         erupted between Albanian guerrillas and Macedonian forces
                         in February, members of the 82nd Airborne were sent in to
                         close down the pocket. “Our mandate, and that of all
                         peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, is to provide a safe and
                         secure environment for everyone living here. Whatever the
                         reasons behind violence it simply can not be tolerated,” says
                         Capt. Marcus Evans of U.S. efforts to help the
                         Macedonians push National Liberation Army (NLA)
                         fighters out of the area. This joint attempt failed when rebel
                         groups simply moved to other villages inside Macedonia.

                                 The NLA is an offshoot of the Kosovo Liberation Army
                         (KLA). Its initials in Albanian, UCK, are the same as those
                         of the KLA, and they share similar uniforms, flags and
                         shoulder patches. The group, which battled Yugoslav forces
                         here, is now fighting to win equal rights for the ethnic
                         Albanians who make up at least 30 percent of Macedonia’s
                         mostly Slavic population.
                                 “For 10 years the politicians have had their chance to
                         solve the problems. They have failed,” says the NLA fighter
                         known as Commander Hoxha from the village of Malina
                         Mala, some three miles from Debelde.
                                 While Macedonian security forces pound rebel positions
                         along the border area, KFOR has promised increased control
                         of its side of the border. The beefed-up presence will be an
                         international effort, but for now it’s the members of the third
                         platoon, Charlie Company, 1st battalion of the 325th Airborne
                         Infantry Regiment who are assigned with monitoring this
                         mountainous territory.
 

                                 Most of the American soldiers stationed along the
                         tense border area find Kosovo a welcoming place. “The
                         people are remarkably friendly and open,” says
                         commanding officer Second Lt. David Hodges of Gainsville,
                         Fla. “They are always inviting us in for coffee.”
                                 A career soldier who has spent more than 12 years in
                         the Army, Hodges has served in the Persian Gulf, Haiti, and
                         the Sinai Peninsula. So far, he says, Kosovo has been “a
                         nice change.”
                                 Driving up and down the muddy winding roads in and
                         around Debelde in an all-terrain SUS-V, Hodges waves to
                         small children playing in the fields. “My favorite part is the
                         chickens in the road!” he shouts over the engine’s roar
                         slamming on the brakes and sending the passengers flying in
                         four different directions. “Not much like Florida is it?”
                                 So far, the GIs’ most dangerous encounter in the last
                         three months has been a growling stray dog. Pfc. Gregory
                         Armstrong, of Gary, Ind., confronted the potential attacker
                         by whipping out his standard-issue pepper spray—and
                         firing into his own face accidentally. It took more than a half
                         hour—and many pints of water—before he could see again.
                                 The incident earned him a new nickname and a degree
                         of notoriety among his fellow soldiers. “Tell ‘Pepper’ we’re
                         gonna make him famous,” Hodges smiles into his radio.
                         Down at the guardhouse, where soldiers check those
                         coming and going from the village, Pepper steps outside and
                         points a finger to his head before flashing a sarcastic salute
                         at his commander.

                                   Letter From Tetovo

                                 In spite of the joking, American soldiers here know life
                         could become much tougher for them if the almost 2 million
                         Albanians in Kosovo lose their trust in NATO. “My father
                         is very proud, but mom is a little worried,” says Amico,
                         whose father is a retired major. Amico tries to speak with
                         his parents every two or three weeks by telephone, but
                         relies primarily on e-mail as a means of communication. “I
                         can’t tell them very much of what is going on here, so they
                         have to rely mostly on the regular news services.”

                                 Right now, that news isn’t good. Members of the NLA
                         have seized control of at least nine villages in Macedonia,
                         prompting the government to deploy army and antiterrorist
                         units against them. Many NLA fighters are Kosovo veterans,
                         and much of their logistical support is coming from inside this
                         province.

                        With Albanians  here sympathetic to the  plight of their brethren
                        in Macedonia, they are not likely to look kindly on
                        KFOR efforts to shut down guerrilla operations.
                        “We are all one people, despite the borders,” explains NLA
                        Commander Hoxha. Against this backdrop, American GIs
                         say they are prepared for the worst. “None of us
                         want to be in the position of fighting these people,” says
                         Amico. “But if it comes to it, we have the training and the
                         weapons to defend ourselves.”