European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                F Border continued from Page 15 soldiers secretly leave Money behind. Quot we go Down there and play chess with them Quot said sgt. Michael Carr who commands observation Post 51 Echo. A when not patrolling soldiers at of 51e Are on the Lookout for donkeys. If there is an expressway for four legged smuggling this is it. Quot this is the hottest sector Quot said pfc. Joseph elder. A from this outpost the soldiers look out on several Ridge lines. It is not uncommon to see donkeys bearing containers of diesel fuel disappear beyond the ridges heading North. They return later. The soldiers said the donkeys Are being led by locals who buy diesel fuel in Macedonia and risk the Law to get it to Serbia where the fuel is banned from import. The smugglers can sell it for twice As much As they paid. They often count 200 to 400 donkeys a Day. The one Day record is 538.Quot usually he the smuggler makes 10 trips a Day in and out of Serbia Quot elder said. Carr said Quot you la see trains of 20 of them going  a smuggling is not without dangers. The soldiers said the Macedonia Border police arrest those they find. One of the policemen even shot one of the smugglers just below the american location. Quot they have no jobs Quot Carr said of the smugglers. Quot they have no education. They have no future. So they think it s Worth . A a a elder said a truck carrying cans of fuel through a local Village was forced to Stop by a tractor parked in the Road. When the truck stopped local children rushed out and carried away the fuel. Quot it s kind of a family business Quot said elder. Across the Valley soldiers at observation Post 52 Are also counting but they Are focused on trucks that pass through the nearby Highway Border crossing one of the few certainties about the Border 770 Yards in front of them. A a  a a a a a. Quot a a a a a a a. Traffic there backs up for a mile or More As customs agents examine closely every vehicle to ensure that nothing is taken into Serbia that could Aid the War Effort. During Down time the observation posts offer relative Comfort. The United nations has provided heated. Shelters including toilet and Kitchen facilities with hot water. A a a a a a a a. A a squad members May take turns As the Day s Cook. There is often a chess game in Progress or an exotic insect to inspect. The Countryside is Lovely and temperatures moderate at least during the Spring. And to this Point at least the Mission is being accomplished. Quot so far it has been a Success Quot said Tellefsen. Quot it s definitely a peacekeeping Mission. We Are a thin Blue line Quot a amps photos by Ron Jensen capt. Perry Caskey uses a Tow missile sight to count trucks crossing the Border near observation Post 52. Below a Chart tells soldiers at the observation Post what to watch fan i Sauth Gong d bus up a i v s Ltd a 1 to e petrol i j a j of o a a of v a. I ii mme i Geltl it renin to a a i a a a a a a a Yyi a a a a a a. A. F54s%ilj pail Wax Wagon it a a a left 1st if. Sam Thomas manages a Small Exchange that carries the necessities of life a including videotaped movies sgt. Brian Vanderpool an aircraft electrician with 7th in 1st aviation regt in Katterbach Germany repairs wiring in a Black Hawk helicopter. U and a Mark nearly every spot at Able sentry by Ron Jensen staff writer t would be a Good contest for the Able sentry the Mission newspaper that has sprouted at Camp Able sentry in Macedonia guess How Many times the letters Quot a Quot and Quot a Quot appear on the base. The Correct answer lots and lots. The letters a Large and Black on White backgrounds a Are everywhere on guard stations fuel tanks and vehicles. Even the Black Hawk helicopters now dubbed Quot White Hawks Quot by some. Everywhere. The former yugoslav air base has been Home to americans since their first involvement in the . Mission last summer when members of the Berlin brigade pushed away the cobwebs and called this place Home.  a a \ a soldiers from the 1st in 6th inf in Vilseck Germany moved in several months ago and now live within the barbed wire and Quot dragon s Teeth Quot that offer Security. They Are scheduled to return to Germany in late june. Quot it s a lot better than when we got Here Quot said staff sgt. Widmark Quashie the no in charge of the operations Section. Quot that s not taking anything away from the Berlin brigade. When they got Down Here they had nothing. What they built we made  some of the busiest people Here then Are the engineers. Staff sgt. Ronald Arsenault of the 94th eng in 130th eng brigade in Vilseck will not argue. He Ana five others arrived on Jan. 6, and Haye been Busy Ever since. A Quot we did quite a few things with just six soldiers Quot he said. Quot we be still got a Christmas list Well never get to finish. We were awakened at night with Power problems leaking problems. The first two months it was seven Days a  \ a dozen More engineers arrived in late , but that did t decrease the workload Arsenault said Quot it seems like we increase people and they increase the Mission Quot said Arsenault. A much has been done a Chapel has been built although not quite finished. Plexiglass was installed in guard towers. Sidewalks were built to keep boots out of the macedonian mud. Arsenault in t complaining. He volunteered to extend his initial 90-Day assignment. Many of his coworkers Are volunteers. Quot we want to set a Good example Quot he said. As Camp Able sentry has grown life has come to resemble that from Back Home in Germany. Life s essentials a from soap to potato chips a Are available at the Small Exchange. The dining Hall provides hot meals. When weather permits soldiers play volleyball or basketball. Quot you could be in worse places Quot said Quashie. Quot we could be in Bosnia somewhere with bullets flying Over our  a a a a a and Quashie echoed the feelings of Many in Macedonia when he said that he likes having a real world Mission. This in t training. This is reality. Quot i also Tike die idea that we re Down Here to keep the peace Quot Hie said. V. However he also has the same thoughts of ail soldiers who Are a Long Way from Home. A a asked if he is counting the Days to his return to Germany he said Quot i be been counting Days since Day  pvt. Uriah Zoellick left and pvt. Kenneth worm relax atop one of the Many .-labeled vehicles at Camp Able sentry. Pfc. Joseph Ferguson is a sometimes Cook at the Back Home Bayou cafe at observation Post 51 Echo the stars and stripes 16 r the stars and stripes tuesday May 31,1994