| Operation Starlift For 58 years the USO, hosted by Bob Hope, provided entertainment for American troops overseas. Another program, Operation Starlift, begun by the Honorary mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant, flew celebrities from film and television onto military bases for a more informal meet-and-greet with soldiers during times of conflict. As the United States' participation in military actions ended, so did the program, but in the '90's, with America's involvement in NATO's peacekeeping effort in the Balkans, Grant revived the program, with Salma Hayek as the headline attraction. Though the USO never stopped touring bases around the world, Operation Starlift has just begun its second phase since World War II, with plans to continue as long as there are American soldiers in the line of fire. Unlike the USO, there's no performing involved in Operation Starlift, no stage and no audience. Celebrities tour the base, and see as much as they can of the surrounding area, interacting with the servicemen on the job and off. The stars get the full experience of the base, and the soldiers get to interact with them without the usual Hollywood protocol. For this reason, it was quite popular in its day, and as word began to spread slowly this time around, with a number of celebrities wanting to be added to the list (too late this time, though--they'll have to wait until next year!), it's shaping up to be just as popular again. This time, though, it was put together rather quickly, with the stars doing a lot of the planning themselves. Actor Dennis Haskins (the principal on "Saved by the Bell") participates frequently in a number of causes and charitible efforts, so he was the first to be asked. He called friend Stephen Root (star of "Newsradio" and currently "Ladies' Man", though I remember him from my favorite movie "Office Space" as the squirrely office clerk), who also agreed. They then called Marie Eve Dufault, the deeply tanned, curvacious winner of the Miss Hawaiian Tropic 2000 swimsuit competition, soon to star in "V.I.P." opposite Pamela Anderson, and for whom English is a second language. The boys realized this would still not be enough firepower, so they enlisted the not-so-tan yet vivacious Sheeri Rappaport, who remembers that "Dennis called me and told me there weren’t enough women on the trip," so she immediately said yes. "Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to do something like the Peace Corps, and this is something I can do for our soldiers who are keeping the peace." Johnny Grant did not attend this time, unfortunately, because if he had, he would have passed along a request he received the last time, from the servicewomen: Salma Hayek's great and all, but don't just bring the babes, make sure there's a hot young stud for us gals! Dennis and Stephen didn't get around to making that call, though (heh-heh!). Since Marie is French-Canadian and doesn't speak a lot of english, that meant Sheeri was in effect Hollywood's ambassador to the servicewomen there, most of whom were about her own age. First stop was the U.S. base in the independent state of Macedonia, the only former Republic to peacefully break away from Yugoslavia. History would catch up with this small nation, however. Like it's former parent country, its largely slavic culture shares a border with a significant Muslim minority, the ethnic Albanians who, by the time of Sheeri's visit, were armed and prepared to demand recognition from the Macedonian government, and failing that, perhaps join with Kosova to the north, or even Albania itself. Camp Able Sentry was one of the first U.S. bases built in the former Yugoslavia, to protect against an invasion back when Serb president Slobodon Milosovic was waging war in Bosnia. Now, with Milosovic gone, the Serbian army once again is on its border, this time to prevent a possible civil war within Macedonia. Ironic, isn't it? The stars toured the base and afterwards, chatted with the soldiers and signed autographs. As Sheeri described this first day: "I kept writing over and over, ‘Thanks for working here,’ and ‘Thanks for what you’re doing.’ After a while, it might seem insincere, but I really mean it. I’m kind of emotional, and I couldn’t help but cry." Just over twelve miles north, on the other side of the border of Macedonia lies Camp Monteith. Named after a WWII hero, lt. Jimmie Monteith, who died in combat after saving his unit, the camp is situated near the three-mile wide demilitarized border zone that surrounds the U.N. protectorate of Kosovo. Its population is largely ethnic Albania, and home to the former KLA, a guerilla outfit looking to secede from Yugoslavia and either join with Albania, or absorb nearby ethnic Albanian districts in Macedonia. The soldiers in the dining hall here were surprised to find celebrities suddenly appearing in their midst, and were reluctant to approach them. So the stars approached them instead, introducing themselves and shaking hands. It wasn't long before they were all talking and posing for the camera. Dennis Haskins, the "Saved by the Bell" principal, was the most familiar to them, many of whom grew up watching the show. Stephen Root was recognized as the crazed owner of the radio station on "Newsradio", but somewhat embarrassed, reassured them, "I’m really a nice guy in real life." Pristina is the regional capital of Kosovo, and home to Camp Bondsteel, the largest U.S. military base camp constructed overseas since the Vietnam war, with a population of 4,500 personnel. It was named for Medal of Honor winner Sgt. James Bondsteel. Guerilla activity is high around here, and there were a number of bombings and casualties, some of them KFOR (Kosovo Force) soldiers, around the time of Sheeri's visit. An early Thanksgiving celebration was a respite from their almost wartime surroundings. As U.S. Army Sgt. Heather Thomas put it: "I wish I was home with my family today," she said. "But today my family are all these soldiers here in this dining room." The final stop on the tour was Eagle Base in Tuzla, in the northern section of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It has the highest number of personnel, nearly 9,000 people. Bosnia had been home to the greatest atrocities in the Balkans that originally inspired the U.S. to intervene, but now is a tribute to the success of the peacekeeping effort. It's still rebounding from years of civil war, and while touring the region the stars saw firsthand the its effects on the locals. "I’m looking at the people and you see an emptiness in their faces, like something is missing," said Haskins. Sheeri agreed by saying, "There is definitely an uneasiness. They’re looking at you and you can’t tell if it’s hatred, unease or confusion." It can be hard to measure one's success in such an environment at times, and to be acknowledged by your country for your efforts does make a difference: "I’ve been here for about three months, and miss home quite a bit. This gives us morale to continue," said Spc. Thomas J. Schoolcraft, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion,179th Infantry Regiment. Dennis Haskins told the soldiers what Operation Starlift meant for him: "It has been many things at once. Awesome, inspiring and sympathetic for a people that hated each other. But, I do see hope in the faces of the children. That is where you have to start rebuilding, and that’s exactly what you are doing." Sheeri was also moved by what she saw: "To be honest, I would have liked to stay longer. The week was too short." |
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