Update on Ted Bernhard!!!
Date of Update: January 7th, 2003:
Kelley and I were blessed with our first child just before Christmas.
Our son Grant Nicholas was born on December 23rd, 2002 and weighed in at 7
lbs, 4 oz. Everyone (including our dog) is adjusting and doing fine. We also
wanted to say hello and wish you a Happy New Year!
Take Care,
Ted, Kelley, & Grant Bernhard
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Date of Update: October 6, 2001
For those who haven't heard, my Army Reserve unit got called up for a six month tour in Kosovo. Kelley and I have been
emailing back and forth, but I thought I'd let everyone else know how I'm doing. I've been in Kosovo close to two weeks
now and am pretty much settled in. We're up in the mountains, so I need to get prepared for the winter. Snow and Ice
removal is actually one of our missions. The forecast for ski conditions look great, unfortunately there aren't too many
ski resorts around here!
I'm the Director of Public Works for a 2000-man base camp (Camp Monteith) just outside of Gnjilane, Kosovo. Kosovo, by
the way is the break-away southern province of Serbia. The closest big city is Skopje in the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. Nice geography lesson, huh? By the way, sorry for the blanket email - it was a little easier this way.
We are working every day here, usually about 12 hours a day. As a U.S. Army Captain, I took over for a Major who is a
really great guy. He seemed a little strung out, though, after six months here (wish me luck). So far, I've been
managing construction projects both on Camp Monteith and outside our perimeter at various positions in the U.S. Sector.
Basically my job is to manage all engineering services, construction and maintenance inside the camp. We also handle
work outside the camp at various check points and observation points out in the country. Both the soldiers and DOD
contractors and civilians I work with are real nice. They'll talk for days, though. They definitely have the gift of
gab - maybe it's contagious. The food in the Dining Facility is actually pretty good, and I live in what the call a
"SEA Hut" (Southeast Asia Hut). It's really just like a cabin which is pretty cool.
When we are outside the camp, we are required to wear all of our military gear - "battle rattle" as they call it. This
includes Kevlar helmet, flak vest, load bearing equipment, and weapon (9 mil). It' a pain, but something I'll have to get
use to. Even though we've been issued ammo, worrying about getting shot is far from my mind. The biggest hazard around
here is probably all the reckless driving. The roads are incredibly narrow and there are always kids, farm animals,
tractors, and other hazards in the road. The country is really very pretty, unfortunately they dump a lot of their
garbage on the side of the roads - there is no infrastructure here. There is a lot of evidence from the war left, mainly
bombed out buildings and evidence of mines. They are definitely on the rebound here, though. There is a ton of
construction going on and the people seem pretty resilient.
Most all of the encounters I've had with the locals have been friendly. There's some subtle differences between the
Serb and Muslim/Albanian villages, but the people are very friendly in each and wave to us when we travel through.
A couple of days ago we went to four outposts in the U.S. Sector. Some of these we are closing down, others have armed
soldiers manning them. Anyhow, after the last outpost visit, we were mobbed by a group of about fifteen boys. The lead
vehicle took their picture and then we rolled up to them after that. I stuck my hand out and gave them some hi-fives.
A couple of them shouted "Thank You" in English and were grabbing at my arm and kissed my hand - it was actually kind of
embarrassing. The people are so appreciative of us being here. Their hope is their children, and they never fail to
inspire me. They always wave and get all excited when they see us. It makes me feel good about our mission here.
Most of the locals just get by on subsistence farming. Their saving grace besides their children, is the rich soil
around here. You can grow about anything in it. On that note, they still have a long way to go. I don't see us
leaving here anytime soon. Being here also makes me very thankful for what I have. The United States is the best
country in the world! Hey, I even had some apple pie in the mess hall tonight.
Well, it would be great to hear from you. I've got about six months and counting before I'm back in the States.
This duty has been a great opportunity to do some soul searching. I am really thankful for my wife, Kelley, and
the life that I have. Let me also say how much I appreciate each and every one of you. I tried to get together a
good email list of family, friends, and co-workers before I left, but I'm missing a few. Let me know if this gets
forwarded to you.
Best Wishes and God Bless,
Ted Bernhard
P.S. Here's my address below. It's a military APO, so you just need to use a regular U.S. 1st Class Stamp.
CPT Alan T. Bernhard
ATTN: DPW
Task Force Falcon
Camp Monteith
APO AE 09340
DSN: 782-7160
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Changes last made on: February 6th, 2003