Page 67 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards Operation Elgin
Having grown up in Switzerland, a nation
which housed a large number of Kosovan
refugees, I always took an interest
the region and how it had developed
since the war officially finished in 1999.
However, I had absolutely no idea what
to expect when I was chosen to lead a
four-man Human Engagement Team
(HET) for three months. It very quickly
became clear to me that the job was
going to require patience, adaptability
and an acute ability to read the subtle
cues of people living in a fragile peace.
Kosovo is a place of contradictions. On
the surface, many towns seemed to be
getting on with life—markets bustling,
kids playing in the streets—but beneath
that normalcy, tensions simmered. The
HETs primary focus was exploring the
Northern part of the country and gath-
ering information on social dynamics,
atmospheric tensions and the ways in
which illegal smuggling take place.
We were attached to 5th Regiment
Royal Artillery (5RA) under the
command of Major Aaron Hollyoak. As
a QDG Officer I naturally had a distrust
of Gunners that dated back to the Napo-
leonic wars. However, working under
alongside 5RA turned out to be an
absolute pleasure and we made many
friends that we will keep with us for our
careers and beyond. My team wasn’t
large—just four of us—but we had a dual
role, serving not only as an HET but also
handling all of the small unmanned aerial
surveillance (SUAS) for the unit. It was
a demanding mix of work, but it kept us
■■■ and allowed us to venture into some
of the most remote pockets of Kosovo.
Leading my team on Op Elgin was a
test of everything I had learned as a light
cavalry officer. It wasn’t glamorous, but it
Truly the dream team
The fleet arrives as part of
the resuscitation of KFOR
was important. Each day brought a new
set of challenges—sometimes logistical,
sometimes interpersonal, and some-
times just the grind of keeping morale up
in a remote area far from home. But we
knew why we were there. We weren’t just
gathering information; we were helping
to keep the peace, however fragile it
might be.
The work we conducted also gave
me hope in humanity in some respects.
Whilst the news was constantly being
dominated by Ethnically Serbian and
65
Sometimes I sits and
thinks; sometimes I just sits
Albanian Kosovan politicians trying to
reignite ethnic tensions for their own
political gain, the reality on the ground
was that people wanted to live and work
together despite their ugly past as neigh-
bours. A personal favourite memory of
mine was getting out of our vehicles in
a remote ethnic Serb village to talk to
an old farmer. This kind soul immedi-
ately started kissing the Union Jack on
our sleeves and started showing his
frighteningly large homemade Raki oper-
ation (disgusting Balkan super strength
alcohol). We ended up staying for the
whole day with him on the farm as he
introduced us to his family and friends; all
of which had differing views on the past,
present and future of Kosovo.
Three months felt like a lifetime at
times, but in the end, it passed too
quickly. Still, the lessons I learned—and
the bonds forged with my team—will stay
with me for much longer.
DS
5RA with their UAS fleet in Kosovo