European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Santa passes out gifts at a croatian refugee Center. The presents arid other supplies were provided by members of american military communities in Italy and Berlin. Americans help is enjoy to Croatia by a King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau Anta class has helped deliver Van loads of gifts and desperately needed Relief supplies to refugees fleeing the War in the former Yugoslavia. The supplies donated mostly by . Military communities in Europe went to about 300 bosnian refugees huddled in a squalid Camp in Croatia and to 180 croatian refugees who have called a rundown hotel Home for two years. Money is so scarce in the refugee communities that the Holiday season would have seen Little gift giving if it had not been for the american volunteers. They arranged for All the refugee families to be sponsored and for All refugee children to receive carefully chosen and gaily wrapped Christmas gifts from Santa better known during the rest of the year As Gregory c. Kelso a . Government employee from Vicenza Italy. Quot when my daddy comes Home hell think this is a Beautiful baby Quot Little Marija Ivanovitch told her Mother and sister As she proudly showed them her new doll. The girls Mother Lily later told a visitor that her husband is of fighting and has t been heard from in months. He May never see the new doll. The Relief Effort at the two refugee Camps started out quite Small but has since grown to a huge project involving Many hundreds of generous people. It began last summer when Tom Berg a naturalised american businessman living in Avia no Italy and a new zealand Friend wary Baker a businesswoman living in Vicenza decided to try to Aid Balkan refugees. Tom Berg and Mary Baker Cente Relief organizers join in a group hug with two Muslim women. Quot i went through this refugee life in Bosnia when t was a Young child during world War ii Quot said and Baker travelled to opa Tija in August and were briefed there by officials of Caritas the International Catholic Relief organization As to what the refugees most needed. Berg and Baker then began contacting organizations and individuals on and around american military bases in Northern Italy. Donated food and clothing began to flow a. A in for the refugees. Soon Baker and Berg were making regular Relief runs to the refugees. The drive from the principal collection centers at Aviano and Vicenza to the opa Tija area normally takes Only a few hours but the necessity to Clear the Relief supplies through italian slovenian and croatian customs Means that a one Way trip can take As Long As 11 hours. Word about the Effort to ease the refugees plight spread to Berlin there army chief warrant officer 3 Lennie cousins a member of Berlin s army aviation det and a former Vicenza resident helped organize a drive to get badly needed blankets for the refugees. The checkpoint Charlie chapter of the army aviation association of America raised Money to buy 400 . Military surplus a plan to Fly the blankets from Berlin to Vicenza fell through cousins and his wife Annette crammed 300 of the blankets into their Van and made a 1 a hour nonstop drive to the Northern italian City earlier this month. The following Day they joined 14 volunteers plus four other vans and a truck for a Daylong drive to Croatia All the vehicles most of them loaned for the trip by a local automobile dealer were burdened with supplies. Quot we had to leave behind at Vicenza just As much As we took because we did t have any Money to rent vehicles to haul it All Quot Baker said. The croatian refugee children put on a show of singing and dancing for the visitors and visibly moved Many of them to tears when their boy spokesman told them Quot you make us very Happy not because you bring us presents but because you care Quot Uthit a hts flee bosnian Camp dwellers 95 percent of them Muslim is particularly grim. These refugees driven 26 the stars and stripe5 monday december 20, 1993
