2RHPZ
05-23-2004, 11:48 AM
http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/archive/blk/html/kosovo991022.html
Kosovo: The One Man War of Marco van Eekeren
By our correspondent Hans-Jaap Melissen, 22 October, 1999
Marco van Eekeren is now called Mussa. About a month ago he converted to Islam. The former marine from Zaandam wants to remain living in Kosovo, especially as he has just married a Turkish Kosovar. Three Balkan wars turned him into a "volunteer" against the Serbs. Now he is packing it in.
Marco sits in front of the door of his café which he opened four months ago in the old town centre of Prizren. He has called the bar 'Pitbull Café', but at first sight the place doesn't differ from any other Kosovar establishment. Inside, pop music is going at full blast. With his military hairstyle and physique, Marco does indeed look like the soldier of fortune that he previously was. On his underarm there´s a tattoo of a pitbull.
"The pitbull is my symbol"
"This pitbull represents the fighting units I have led. I had a pitbull-unit in Croatia, one in Bosnia and finally also one here in Kosovo. They were special units of about 31 men. No mercenaries. That I must emphasize. I don't want to be seen a hireling. For this work here in Kosovo I haven't received one cent. I see myself more as a volunteer, who tries to help people. Perhaps in a somewhat unusual manner? I know what sort of people the Serbs are. They can create havoc. I've seen it with my own eyes. I want to help people, and that's what I'm still doing".
Career soldier
Marco van Eekeren was a career soldier with the marines, and by 1991 he was highly respected within the Dutch army.
He had a lot of experience and wanted to get a taste of real work. In Kuwait he fought his first war and killed for the first time. Then he went via an office in London to Croatia, where he took over direct command of his own unit. With a mixed group of Croats and Bosnians he fought against the Serbs. When the Bosnians and the Croats couldn't get along any more, he took on the task of disarming his Bosnian boys. He commandeered a bus and with some of his men went over to the other side, to Bosnia.
"I never earned a penny"
"I offered my services as usual. Not that I had been paid very much in Croatia. There I had mainly lived on bonuses earned for the capture of Serbian tanks. I captured 21, for 10,000 Deutschmarks each, as it worked out. Later in Bosnia I earned as good as nothing, and here in Kosovo I was working purely for myself. I was here for about 9 months, of which five were at the front. During the bombardments, I stayed with my unit in Kosovo itself. We went through a lot. NATO bombed our front lines five times, as a result of which we lost 44 men. On one occasion we had taken over a Serbian barracks. NATO thought they were still inside. In that attack a doctor and some nurses also lost their lives. I myself was wounded twice: once in my head, and once in my buttock. For about five days I couldn't walk, sit or do other simple things. But now I've had enough of it, and I'm quitting".
Hatred
During the Balkan wars, Marco developed a hatred for the Serbs. In part because of things he had seen the Serb militias do, but especially because of the murder of his wife and daughter by a Serb sniper in 1992. At the end of 1991 he married a Bosnian, Nathalya. His daughter Brigitte was three months old when she and her mother were shot dead.
"They just shot them in broad daylight"
"Yes, they are no longer with us. They lost their lives to a sniper while they were doing the shopping. First he shot the baby through the head, and the second bullet was for Nathalya. Both were killed instantly, in broad daylight in the market. I wasn't there myself, but photos were taken afterwards. I keep those in a sealed envelope. I'll look at the photos whenever I feel that I can. So far that isn't the case. The greatest part of my hatred arises from that. Let's say 50-50. When I see what the Serbs have done, not only here in Kosovo, but also in Croatia and Bosnia? children, women, the elderly. Those aren't real soldiers any more".
Killing
According to what he says himself, Marco is a fair fighter. Man against man, like a real soldier. Killing doesn't affect him much:
"In Croatia I killed about 52, in Bosnia around 49. And here in Kosovo 14 Serbs and 4 Russians. So in total about 155-120 men. But I am not proud of it. It's either me or him, man against man, and the distance can vary from 5 to 500 metres. I always do only what's necessary to stay alive. If you see what they (the Serbs) have done, then I am comfortable with that."
"Enough is enough"
After the war in Bosnia, Marco was completely shattered. Back home in The Netherlands he spent some time on drink and drugs, but with help from the Institute for Mental Welfare he managed to crawl out of this low point. The Balkans still fascinated him, and through contacts with Bosnian and Croatian asylum seekers he stayed on top of developments. As things began to get out of hand in Kosovo, he made contact with a KLA agent in Rotterdam. He went with him to join the fight on the front lines against the Serbs. A mug's game, he says with hindsight. But this war is his last, he has married for the second time, and is packing it in for good. His wife knows about his past:
"She knows everything about it. She has no problem with it. I have promised her that I won't fight any more. I'll stick to that. It's over for me. I have experienced four wars, and I´ve been wounded nine times of which three wounds were serious. I think enough is enough".
Whether he can really turn away from violence remains to be seen. Kosovo is increasingly in the grip of weapons. By no means all arms have been handed in to K-FOR, and Marco knows that very well?
Kosovo: The One Man War of Marco van Eekeren
By our correspondent Hans-Jaap Melissen, 22 October, 1999
Marco van Eekeren is now called Mussa. About a month ago he converted to Islam. The former marine from Zaandam wants to remain living in Kosovo, especially as he has just married a Turkish Kosovar. Three Balkan wars turned him into a "volunteer" against the Serbs. Now he is packing it in.
Marco sits in front of the door of his café which he opened four months ago in the old town centre of Prizren. He has called the bar 'Pitbull Café', but at first sight the place doesn't differ from any other Kosovar establishment. Inside, pop music is going at full blast. With his military hairstyle and physique, Marco does indeed look like the soldier of fortune that he previously was. On his underarm there´s a tattoo of a pitbull.
"The pitbull is my symbol"
"This pitbull represents the fighting units I have led. I had a pitbull-unit in Croatia, one in Bosnia and finally also one here in Kosovo. They were special units of about 31 men. No mercenaries. That I must emphasize. I don't want to be seen a hireling. For this work here in Kosovo I haven't received one cent. I see myself more as a volunteer, who tries to help people. Perhaps in a somewhat unusual manner? I know what sort of people the Serbs are. They can create havoc. I've seen it with my own eyes. I want to help people, and that's what I'm still doing".
Career soldier
Marco van Eekeren was a career soldier with the marines, and by 1991 he was highly respected within the Dutch army.
He had a lot of experience and wanted to get a taste of real work. In Kuwait he fought his first war and killed for the first time. Then he went via an office in London to Croatia, where he took over direct command of his own unit. With a mixed group of Croats and Bosnians he fought against the Serbs. When the Bosnians and the Croats couldn't get along any more, he took on the task of disarming his Bosnian boys. He commandeered a bus and with some of his men went over to the other side, to Bosnia.
"I never earned a penny"
"I offered my services as usual. Not that I had been paid very much in Croatia. There I had mainly lived on bonuses earned for the capture of Serbian tanks. I captured 21, for 10,000 Deutschmarks each, as it worked out. Later in Bosnia I earned as good as nothing, and here in Kosovo I was working purely for myself. I was here for about 9 months, of which five were at the front. During the bombardments, I stayed with my unit in Kosovo itself. We went through a lot. NATO bombed our front lines five times, as a result of which we lost 44 men. On one occasion we had taken over a Serbian barracks. NATO thought they were still inside. In that attack a doctor and some nurses also lost their lives. I myself was wounded twice: once in my head, and once in my buttock. For about five days I couldn't walk, sit or do other simple things. But now I've had enough of it, and I'm quitting".
Hatred
During the Balkan wars, Marco developed a hatred for the Serbs. In part because of things he had seen the Serb militias do, but especially because of the murder of his wife and daughter by a Serb sniper in 1992. At the end of 1991 he married a Bosnian, Nathalya. His daughter Brigitte was three months old when she and her mother were shot dead.
"They just shot them in broad daylight"
"Yes, they are no longer with us. They lost their lives to a sniper while they were doing the shopping. First he shot the baby through the head, and the second bullet was for Nathalya. Both were killed instantly, in broad daylight in the market. I wasn't there myself, but photos were taken afterwards. I keep those in a sealed envelope. I'll look at the photos whenever I feel that I can. So far that isn't the case. The greatest part of my hatred arises from that. Let's say 50-50. When I see what the Serbs have done, not only here in Kosovo, but also in Croatia and Bosnia? children, women, the elderly. Those aren't real soldiers any more".
Killing
According to what he says himself, Marco is a fair fighter. Man against man, like a real soldier. Killing doesn't affect him much:
"In Croatia I killed about 52, in Bosnia around 49. And here in Kosovo 14 Serbs and 4 Russians. So in total about 155-120 men. But I am not proud of it. It's either me or him, man against man, and the distance can vary from 5 to 500 metres. I always do only what's necessary to stay alive. If you see what they (the Serbs) have done, then I am comfortable with that."
"Enough is enough"
After the war in Bosnia, Marco was completely shattered. Back home in The Netherlands he spent some time on drink and drugs, but with help from the Institute for Mental Welfare he managed to crawl out of this low point. The Balkans still fascinated him, and through contacts with Bosnian and Croatian asylum seekers he stayed on top of developments. As things began to get out of hand in Kosovo, he made contact with a KLA agent in Rotterdam. He went with him to join the fight on the front lines against the Serbs. A mug's game, he says with hindsight. But this war is his last, he has married for the second time, and is packing it in for good. His wife knows about his past:
"She knows everything about it. She has no problem with it. I have promised her that I won't fight any more. I'll stick to that. It's over for me. I have experienced four wars, and I´ve been wounded nine times of which three wounds were serious. I think enough is enough".
Whether he can really turn away from violence remains to be seen. Kosovo is increasingly in the grip of weapons. By no means all arms have been handed in to K-FOR, and Marco knows that very well?