News, humor or anything else related to Polish military

[Mishka Zubov]

The Polish weekly Polityka has initiated an operation "Polish-English conversational cliches for Mister President." These are based on Lech Kaczynski's language creations, which have much in common with so criticized language of the communist past - conveying nothing, covering up everything. The Polityka's readers have come so far with an impressive list of Mr. President's expressions and their English equivalents. Some excerpts are shown below.

However, Mr. President is not the only one known for his flowery language. While translating one of the articles I came across the following expression of Marek Zająkała, a Deputy Minister of National Defense: "Poważnie bierzemy pod uwagę wydłużenie zębów naszych wojsk lądowych." How would you translate it?

We seriously take into account lengthening the teeth of our Army?

Oh, well, maybe a context will help. Mesko, a Polish company, has been recently certified by Israeli's Rafael for manufacturing Spike LR missiles. These missiles have a maximal range of 4000 meters. A representative of Rafael suggested to Polish authorities that the improved version of the missile, the Spike ER - of the range 8000 meters, could be also produced by Mesko. He added that - according to Rafael engineers - Polish attack helicopters Mi-24 could be equipped with the Spike ER missile.

And that's how Mr. Deputy Minister responded:

The double range would give us additional possibility of improvement of the helicopter's battle value. We seriously take into account lengthening the teeth of our Army.


MZ
source: http://www.redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazet...6634&Itemid=69


Some excerpts from an ongoing project "Polish-English conversational cliches for Mister President."

układ (The System) - a secret, impenetrable, destructive, political framework / Anti-Republic 5th Column / old-boy network

szara sieć (grey network) - grey grid

nagonka na rząd (government bashing) - twins-hunt

wykształciuchy (pejorative: educated elite) - EBTOCS (Educated Beyond Their Own Comprehension)

łże-elity (lying elite) - back-stublishment

tanie państwo (a cheap state) - Big Mac Government / low-price state

semantyczne nadużycie (a semantic abuse) - semantic embezzlement / semantic molestation

udoskonalanie wolności mediów (revamping a freedom of the media) - Allowing the media to freely conform

równoważenie trójpodziału władz (balancing a three-way mechanism of power) - improvement by triumvirate / What's a pity we aren't triplets!

skrót myślowy (a mental short-cut) - mental twinopsis

lustracja (a lustration) - mirrorization

patriotyzm genetyczny (a genetic patriotism) - DNA patriotism / inborn patriotism

wzmożenie moralne (a moral renewal) - moral amplification

source: http://www.polityka.pl/polityka/inde...eads&page=text

[Mishka Zubov]

France propose our participation in Darfur mission

written by KAROLINA WOŹNIAK, MS
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Życie Warszawy (ŻW)

Polish Military Police might participate in peace mission in Africa. Polish government is considering sending our Military Police to Sudanese Darfur.

The experts warn, however, that we have no battle experience in that region. "They do not know where they want to go. Darfur is the most dangerous place on Earth." - tells ŻW Magdalena Nagórska, a coordinator of operation "Poland for Darfur". Nagórska has been organizing aid for that war engulfed country for many months now. She is glad that Polish soldiers will contribute to stopping "the first genocide of 21st century". "The war has brought 400 thousands dead, more than two million black Africans have been driven out from their land. They vegetate at the level of death in refugee camps on the border between Darfur and Chad. The fundamentalist government in Khartoum has decided to simply annihilate African tribes in Darfur and take away their land from them." - she reports.

The proposal of our participation in the mission to Darfur came from French authorities. Aleksander Szczygło, a Minister of National Defence, admitted that the government has been considering it. "There are talks related to details, such as the tasks facing our contingent and the transport" - said Szczygło yesterday.

Lack of experience

The aim of the operation, decided by UN on August the 1st, is to stop violence in Darfur. This would not be the first such mission with Polish participation. Only last year our Military Police were sent to Congo as an election observers. "Our previous missions, including the last year mission to Congo, have been successful. They have shown that we are willing to actively participate in UN forces (the Congo mission was under aegis of UN) and that we have come true in such operations." - stresses Radosław Sikorski, a former minister of defense.

But he points out that this mission would be quite different. "Even though both Congo and Sudanese Darfur are in Africa those two missions would be different. We went to Congo to help keep peace, while in Darfur we would have to create a peace first" - says Sikorski, and adds that all depends on tasks facing the Poles.

Jerzy Szmajdziński, a former minister of defence in the leftist SLD government, also agrees with these conditions. In his opinion, even though Polish soldiers were in Darfur several years ago and know the terrain, they would not be able to cope with all tasks. "We should not agree to everything. It would be too difficult for us to directly enforce the peace since we have no battle experience in that region. This is French specialty, not ours" - argues Szmajdziński.

Harder than in Iraq

He adds that the conditions will be harder than in Iraq or Afghanistan. "This is not only about the climate, but also about the language barrier" - says Szmajdziński. "The climate problem means that our equipment and accessories of our soldiers would have to be more robust than those in Iraq. And we already have problem with equipment." Sikorski adds that if our government decides to send our soldiers to Darfur they must assure that our officer is among the commanders. "This would influence whereabouts of our soldiers" - he adds.

source: http://www.redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazet...6637&Itemid=46
Translated by MZ

Several countries — including Italy, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, Thailand, and South Africa — said they had not made a decision yet. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the country would send a small number of doctors and nurses, but no troops or security personnel, given its existing commitments in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Solomon Islands.

source: Globe and Mail, Canada, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...801.wdafur0801

[Mishka Zubov]

Well, for those nay-sayers: A contract with Martin Lockheed for purchase of F-16 fighters brought at least something as an offset...

Controlled explosions

written by MARCIN SZTANDERA
Monday, July 30, 2007
Gazeta Wyborcza, Kielce

Zakłady Metalowe „Mesko“ (Metal Plants Mesko) have finalized the most expensive and most modern investment in its history - construction of production line for utilization of ammunition, the only one such line in Poland.

"A basis of this investment were problems we have with old ammunition in storage. In Poland there is about 50 thousand tones (of this). Some types are so old that our armed force have no use for them since they have already scrapped a corresponding armament" - says Piotr Mazurek, a chairman of ZM „Mesko“ in Skarżysko-Kamienna.

The assembly hall, for safety reasons, has been placed in the factory's training grounds, far from the nearest buildings. The modern-looking building does not look like any of the buildings which have been standing on the property of MZ Mesko for several tens of years. "We have finished mounting the equipment. We are going to begin technological trials and demolishing tests of the first batch of ammunition in August." - says Mazurek. He announces that the full start will commence not earlier than several months later. "Some inconsiderable delay is a consequence of troubles with bidding decision"- he explains.

There are two production lines in the building. The first one will serve for utilization of artillery ammunition of caliber greater than 57 mm. The second one would be used for utilization of ammunition of smaller caliber, rifle rounds say. "Thanks to this Mesko will be able to utilize any kind of ammunition - from small arms calibers to 155 mm artillery calibers" - stresses chairman Mazurek.

The factory has, among other equipment, an incinerator of explosives and a detonation furnace, a system for melting the explosives and dismantling the mines. There is a saw for underwater cutting of bigger missiles and untypical warheads. Thanks to this, they will be able recover some colored metals and some kind of explosives that can be reused in mining. "And everything will operate under the strictest ecological and safety norms. The line is completely automatic, fully monitored, and served by 30 people. We are now completing the crew" - stresses chairman Mazurek. He does not want to say how much the investment costs. "This is a trade secret" - he stipulates.

Launch of the line is a part of an offset programs related to six billion dollars purchase of F-16 fighters by Polish Air Force. Lockheed Martin (LM) - within the offset framework - agreed to make investments in Poland - part of which went to Mesko. When in 2005 the agreement was being signed between Mesko and Scandinavian Nammo, owned by LM, it was said that Mesko was worth 876 millions of dollars - after application of so-called an offset scaler. The offset program has been also used in Mesko for starting a production line of ammunition for F-16.

The utilization line in Mesko will be the only one of this type in Poland. There is a reason why such of investment was badly needed. After its entry to EU, Poland agreed to liquidation of old and unwanted ammunition by the year 2013. Utilization of one kilogram costs between $27 and $40 on the world market. "For us, the most important thing is to safely satisfy domestic demands, but we also have had queries from abroad, including Scandinavia" - says Mazurek.

source: http://www.redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazet...6501&Itemid=69
Translated by MZ

Reservoir "Rejów" in Skarżysko-Kamienna - first created at the beginning of 19th century, destroyed in both world wars. After the WW2 it was used to provide all the water needs for ZM Mesko. Currently it fills the recreational and surge/expansion roles.

A note:
Deputy Minister of Economy, Paweł Poncyljusz, recently said that ZM Mesko had been brought back from a threshold of bankruptcy mainly due the contract with Rafael - a production of anti-armor guided missile Spike in Mesko.

[Mishka Zubov]

Reports of Marcin Ogdowski

This was the first time I came across Polish interia.pl - "Portal of youth, irrespective of age". Its front page does not look too exciting, but hey - they have sent their own reporter, Marcin Ogdowski, to Afghanistan. Maybe we could learn something interesting from this additional source of news? So I decided to peak into some of his reports, http://fakty.interia.pl/raport/inter...na-ogdowskiego.

Well, his last report was somewhat embarrassing to read, let alone to translate it. So I will just give you a sample - his opening paragraph.

Taliban are afraid of us

Photo. M. Ogdowski /INTERIA.PL
Friday, August 3, 2007

A roar of engines disturbs the silence of the Afghan steppe. Somewhere away the Americans - attacked by Taliban - are waiting for the column of Polish vehicles. Suddenly the Kalashnikov bullets are also flying in direction of Poles. The response is unmerciful. The crew of Rosomak - equipped with a thermo-vision device - localizes, with no difficulty, the source of fire and directs there the barrel of their quick firing gun...

And so on, and so on. As I said - embarrassing, even to read. But wait, since we have seen the worst, maybe we'll find some fun in his other reports. Here is another one.

A crazy taxi to Kabul
Tuesday, July 31 (11:43)
"You, the journalists, are one of groups in this country, which is most vulnerable to kidnapping by Taliban" - these words of Gen. Tomaszycki, a commander of Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan, dog me as sinister mantra.

But our valiant hero shares a taxi from Bagram to Kabul with another hero from "Gazeta Wyborcza" for no other reason but to write a thrilling report. They have chosen a driver from a recommended transportation company, so he would not set them up to Taliban. But he could! The Afghan police, which stopped them at the gun point did not sell them to Taliban either. But they also could - according to warnings from a former Polish secret service officer. Boy, how glad they felt seeing a British soldier in front of ISAF headquarters in Kabul!

Remember the name: Ogdowski - do not google it for news from Afghanistan.

[Mishka Zubov]

Well done
31.8.2007 On 3rd August most of the 160 soldiers from Multinational Corps Northeast, after working for more than six months in ISAF Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, will arrive back in their home base in Szczecin, Poland.

It was the first time MNC NE came into action in a real mission to support the stabilisation of peace. So this was a milestone in history of MNC NE also. ISAF Commander, US Four-Star General Dan K. McNeill, summarised his appreciation for the Szczecin-Team in a short ‘Well done’, describing the successful work of the Corps’ soldiers, carried out for most of them between January and August 2007.



‘Multinationality is hard work but the only right way’, said Major General Jan Brun Andersen, normally working as Deputy Commander of MNC NE but during the mission in Afghanistan also the Senior General of the Szczecin-Team, with a view on the daily working business in ISAF HQ. The soldiers from MNC NE, coming from nine different nations, worked in Kabul as the main body of the so-called ‘Composite Headquarters’.

They had to integrate all the other soldiers from all 37 Nations, belonging to the ISAF family and fighting together shoulder to shoulder for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. The high level training the Szczecin soldiers got before the mission, is emphasised by Major General Andersen as the main reason for the outstanding record: ‘Good training makes the difference’.

The soldiers from Multinational Corps Northeast are redeploying but something of them will stay in Kabul and Afghanistan. There are many memories and also a lot of new friendships, established during the time with Afghans as well as with members of the International Community and, not to forget of course, with soldiers from other ISAF Nations.

And also the name of the town Szczecin, as home to MNC NE, is now integrated in ISAF HQ forever. One of the main HQ buildings, a container built office space area and formerly known as ‘White Building’ has been named ‘Szczecin’ now, to honour the work of the Szczecin soldiers and also to remember their very first and successful mission.

source: http://www.mncne.pl/?menupage=p_arti...product_id=364

[Mishka Zubov]

Our soldiers are coming back from Afghanistan

written by MARCIN GÓRKA
Friday, August 03, 2007
Gazeta Wyborcza, Szczecin

They have been working in the command of ISAF operation. They will come home on Friday.

„Well done“ - summarized their mission during farewell the ISAF Commander, US Four-Star General Dan K. McNeill. 160 soldiers from Multinational Corps Northeast: officers and non-commissioned officers - mostly from Germany, Denmark and Poland - had been working in the staff of so-called Composite Command of ISAF operation. As part of NATO staff in Afghanistan they commanded all participating soldiers in that mission - including Polish Military Contingent, made with almost 1200 soldiers.

They were at key positions of the staff sections: logistics, recce , operations and communication. Jan Brun Andersen, a Danish general from the Corps had the highest position - being a deputy commander of entire ISAF operation.

"The Corps was carrying their tasks in the key moment for the entire NATO operation" - says COM Artur Bilski, a unit spokesman. "The situation in Afghanistan had become inflamed and complicated and accordingly our soldiers were facing a task of stabilization of that situation"

He stresses that the unit from Szczecin has put its mark into the NATO command structures, after the mission to Afghanistan. "We are already recognizable in NATO. It is already known that the Corps will co-command again the mission in Afghanistan in the year 2010." - says COM Bilski.

In order to honor the work of the Corps soldiers, one of the office building at the ISAF base in Kabul, formerly known as 'White Building', has been renamed ‘Szczecin’.

A military plane with officers from Szczecin on deck will take off on Friday around noon from the airport in Termez, Uzbekistan. The soldiers are expected at the airport Goleniowo about 1730 hours.

They will be welcome by gen. Zdzisław Góral, a Corps commander, by Jacek Kotas, a Deputy Minister of Defence and by families of soldiers.

After the medical examinations in hospital in Bydgoszcz they will go on vacation.

The officers from Multinational Corps Northeast have been already replaced in Afghan mission by soldiers from the Command of NATO Land Component in Heidelberg.

source: http://www.redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazet...6624&Itemid=46
Translated by MZ

And they just came in time to watch the Tall Ship's Race in Szczecin and all that fun around it.

Mexicans from "Cuauthemoca" say "Good morning" to Szczecin

Welcome to "Dar Mlodzieży" in Szczecin

Cuauhtemoc Mexican Bark & Dar Mlodziezy Polish Frigate In Szczecin - Tall Ship's Races 2007

[Mishka Zubov]

A Polish base in Afghanistan under attack
2007-08-07

A Polish base in Afghanistan has been shelled on Monday night. According to MoND spokesman, Jarosław Rybak - no one was harmed. The spokesman told IAR that the base was attacked at 2300 hours, our time. Two rockets has been fired on Polish base Sharana. A quick reaction force went to action, with help of Afghan police. Jarosław Rybak stressed that no such incident has happened in base Sharana for the last 18 years.

source: IAR

source: http://www.polityka.pl/polityka/inde...t=16&page=text
Translated MZ

[Mishka Zubov]

This would not have been news at all if a Polish-Canadian had been offered a similar position in Canadian Ministry of Defense. But it is in this case, since Polish minority in Lithuania has not been treated fairly - for one reason or another, justifiably or not. This is good news for Polish-Lithuanian relations.

A Polish-Lithuanian took office in Lithuanian Ministry of Defense

written by PAP
Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Lithuania - Artur Płokszto, a Polish-Lithuanian, has been offered a high position in Ministry of Defense

2007-08-06, Vilnius (PAP) - Artur Płokszto, a Polish Lithuanian, former MP, a member of Lithuanian Social-Democratic Party, took office of Undersecretary of State in Lithuanian Ministry of Defense on Monday. His duties are supervision and coordination of provisioning of Lithuanian soldiers and anything related to infrastructure and economy of the department.

During interview with PAP Płokszto said that "the competition for this position was not easy" but "the examination board was not bothered by the fact that he was a Pole, but - in contrary - his knowledge of Polish language was an additional asset."

source: http://www.redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazet...6681&Itemid=69
Translated by MZ

[Mishka Zubov]

They drove over a mine
2007-08-07 13:34

Iraq: One Pole wounded in attack on patrol

An explosion of a road side bomb destroyed a Polish battle vehicle in Iraq. One soldier is lightly wounded and three others suffer hearing damages.

The Polish patrol has been attacked near Diwaniya. Five Polish hummers with 25 soldiers were going to a refugee camp in As Saniya. When a road side IDE exploded one of the hummers immediately burst into flame.



Luckily no soldier has suffered serious injuries. One of the soldiers has a leg injury. However their vehicle has been completely destroyed.

After the patrol returned back to the base and after medical checkup it was found that only three of the soldiers have suffered slight hearing damages.

Bartłomiej Bajerski

source: http://www.dziennik.pl/Default.aspx?...rticleId=55779
Translated by MZ

[Switek]

Iraq: One Pole wounded in attack on patrol

a picture of destroyed HUMWEE

[Mishka Zubov]

This article was first published a month before the eighth rotation of Polish soldiers in Iraq was to go home. And they all came safely home. The ninth rotation of Polish contingent and their new commander has replaced them over there. But the mission specifics are still the same: stabilization and training of Iraqi army. Officially, they are still not at war there.

Whistle of rockets in Iraq
2007-06-08*21:20
No hazing in camp Echo

Following the last Thursday's mortar shelling the Polish camp Echo in Iraqi's Diwaniya comes back to life. And it counts its loses. A broken generator, helicopters and a vehicle cut by shrapnel, damaged repair shop. It could be worse.. - writes DZIENNIK.

This was the 38th attack since February. The soldiers will apply security procedures, check out what kind of fire it was and where they were shelled from, and then ... they will be waiting for another attack. Actually Polish army is here in war, although their superiors prefer calling it a stabilization mission.

A war camp is a special place. Soldier - if you come here - forget everything you have learned in army barracks! In camp Echo of Iraqi's Diwaniya no one complains about food, no one salutes, no one runs around at the parade ground. No hazing, basic training, chastising loose belts. Here the rules are different: survive, rest, return.

Over here your evening relax may be interrupted at any moment by a whistle of rockets or explosions of mortar shells. That's right - a whistle. In Poland the word "whiz" (świst) is used - here they use another one. The reason is simple - one battalion commander's name is Świst. Once a soldier asked whether it was a whiz - he had in mind a sound of rocket, and another soldier answered "no" - thinking about the commander. But in fact it was a whiz because a rocket just flew over. Since that time everyone says "whistle of rockets", to avoid misunderstanding.

Soldiers here do not turn their noses up at food, because it is tasteful, diversified and does not give any reason for complaints. Saluting would be almost a sabotage, because it points commanders out to the enemy. There is no running at the parade grounds because too much care about fitness - in 45 degrees Celsius - could kill soldiers. Actually, such thing has happened to one American soldier who died after he passed out during his physical fitness test. Uniforms are worn here with a considerable appreciation of individual needs. This is a war base.

The camp's main street - Freedom Street, as a spine in human body, fulfills a role of an axis - focusing all activities in the camp. A soldier hits it at least few times a day. There is a staff, laundry, post office, movie theater and - what is most important - a canteen. The war aside, one has to eat and the canteen determines the daily rhythm of soldiers - not the patrols, base shelling, humanitarian missions or operations in town.

Fodder, as the army calls the food, is the foundation. And fodder feeders are very atttractive. The food supply is being handled by an American private logistic company KBR. American military has not been worrying for years about such trivia as cooking dinners or garbage removal, but has been contracting it out to civilian contractors. They operate quickly, professionally and inexpensively. And quality of services - for Iraqi conditions - is excellent. Poles summarize that system shortly: we will never have something like this.

"Difak" (from DFAC - a dinning facility), since no one here would use the word canteen, is open between 5 and 8 in the morning, and later from 12 to 14 and 17 to 20. The system is anglo-saxon: breakfast, lunch, dinner. The DFAC's opening hours impose the rhythm of base activity - more than the orders of your commanders.

Are you not on duty, brother? It does not matter, you will not get your sleep - get out of bed because they will close you fodder feeder! Even patrols, by a strange coincidence, always return to base during DFAC's opening hours. One must admit though that KBR is flexible - when there is night battle in town, a dining room is still open even at 1 o'clock a.m. But that happens on rare occasions.

At the gate to The Sesame there is a control - you have to show your pass, unload you weapon and attempt a shot into a box filled with dirt. There is too much of all sorts of military equipment around for leaving out the procedure of checking pistols and rifles. No one wants to risk an accidental gunshot wound in the canteen.

And there is really much to see: American gadgets, German, Austrian, all sorts of Kalashnikovs. In a word - gunsmith's art from all civilized world. Even soldiers with machine guns and grenade throwers enter the DFAC. A paradise for a militarist.

And here you choose and take. If one wishes a full dinner at 6 a.m - be my guest, a breakfast instead of dinner - go ahead. Salmon, Mexican style pork, Indian style vegetables - here you go. But after several days of such consumption there comes a reflection: how is it that DIFAC's apples don't rot? Well, they wither, they shrink but they do not rot. Why there are no cases of food poisoning? The answer seems obvious - the canteen's food has been loaded with preservatives and hence it has no rights to get spoiled; American military cuisine - although nutritious - is not that healthy.

A second important phenomenon, which gets soldier's attention, is shelling. Not the shelling*on patrols, not the roadside explosives, but the rocket or mortar attacks of the base - a place where military rests and should feel safe.

Attacks are always unexpected, the alarm sirens howl only when the shells are falling. When - as it was in March and April - this happens almost daily a soldier has to prepare his own survival technique. Why to go to a bathroom and then run to a shelter holding your pants in handful? Or why to take shower and then run naked with foam all over your body? And these kinds of incidents have been happening. Even a quick look at the bathroom might show an evidence that people had been running out prompted by explosions. In such moments no one cares very much about that place hygiene.

"We take our baths only when helicopters are up in the air" - says a CIMIC corporal. These are the words of wisdom, because rebels never attack when noise of choppers is heard. Helicopters can easily identify a shelling position and respond with murderous fire. Another way of using a shower is to do it at daytime only. Most of the attacks are carried after dusk. A third option is not to take baths at all, but luckily not many choose it in the Iraqi's heat.

One must run to a shelter after the first shells. Only few of them are solid buildings with souped up walls and roofs - most soldiers must be satisfied with makeshift shelters - 1.5 meters tall, in the shape of an inverted letter "U", made of concrete and covered with sandbags. They protect against shrapnel, but not against a direct hit. Hot and suffocating, forcing you to crouching position - too low for standing, too cramped for sitting. Once you are there you only think about getting out of there.

Although they are uncomfortable, it is good to know locations of nearest burrows of this sort. Soldiers live in tin containers with air-conditioning - shrapnel goes through them easily. And the places with no protection - roads, squares, gardens - are deadly dangerous.

Last Spring, an American soldier did not reach a shelter in time and when a rebels' rocket exploded in an open space, close by - he died. Another one hit a laundry - a young American women has been burned alive. People avoid this place now ... There is only an empty space and twisted remnants of that building. A new laundry looks like a bunker - a regular rocket is not good for it.

When enemy is not shelling the camp and when there are no patrols the greatest threat to the soldiers - according to common opinion - are Polish Military Police. There are only few of them, but they are a real nuisance. They are after, most of all, the drinking - strictly prohibited at the camp. They cannot enter containers without warrant, so they use all sort of tricks to get the soldiers outside. For example, they throw stones at a tin container and when the soldiers run out - they are ready with their alcohol testers.

"Right after the worst shelling they are after our drinking. But one has to react it out somehow. Nobody drinks on duty or when on patrol, of course. We have enough of them" - says a logistics soldier, who is happy to see a reporter at the base - so that he finally will have his say about the "real truth".

The truth is - our soldiers drink indeed. You will find an alcohol anywhere where a Pole is. And no prohibition will help. It is brought by those flying to Baghdad. The 90% alcohol provided by military for cleaning parts of precision equipment is not that bad, and makeshift wine - made from grape and apple juice taken out from the canteen - is drinkable too. How and where the wine is produced is a well-kept secret of the base. This knowledge is kept secret not from the enemy but from the Military Police.

Another amusement of the Military Police is a strict enforcement of speed limit to 20 km per hour. In the war camp one can easily receive a ticket, similarly as for the lack of driver's license. Not everyone is so acquiescent though.

A little skit: GROM operators, who officially are not here, drive their vehicle at the base. A Military Policeman jumps out and asks them to stop. "Your documents please, you were driving too fast" - thus begins a Polish dialog on the Iraqi soil. The side window slides down. "How long has it been since someone kicked your ass?" - Seriously, men, please show me your documents. "Well, I am getting out the car and I will seriously kick your ass." After several such scenes the MPs are not troubling the "specials" - special force commandos. You cannot blame them for that.

One more threat - although not as troublesome - is a boredom. Modern wars are rarely high intensity operations. When off duty and nobody shoots at him - that is, most of the time in Iraq - a soldier is getting bored to death. He cannot go out to town because this is seriously dangerous. There are only few entertainments around. There is a video lending library, but only with a dozen or so reasonable titles. Everyone has seen "Sexmission" at least eight times. There is a body building gym, so some troops exercise there; one has to admit that some soldiers look like real gladiators.

Another option is a visit to "Peweks"[1] - a PX shop baptized by Poles this way. - Tomorrow is a delivery, a gossip went around the camp - as back home at Jaruzelski's times. And shopping, in lack of a better occupation, can serve as entertainment too. New offers: American army T-shirts, a conditioner for body-builders, underwear, holsters for pistols and for magazines, kneepads, some electronics, adidas.

There is also a PX competition - more humble but more colorful - a small arabic bazaar near the gates, with a dozen or so stalls. Stallholders are carefully vented by security service and they get their license for one month only. They must be "nice" and "useful" to our military in order to get it extended.

And there are: prints with Mecca and Ali's mosque in Najaf, Koran, American military boots, tacky jewels, water pipes, electronics and - most popular among Polish soldiers - trifling cigarettes for two dollars a carton. Hundreds of them are being smoked when soldiers gather in their containers for a lazy chat - the most popular entertainment at the base.

The eighth rotation of Polish forces in Iraq has only more than a month to go. Too much time in order to start packing, but short enough to think about it all day long. Soldier's pay is quite good here and they may contract again in order to repair their house budgets. Let's not kid ourselves - aside from the staff officers, no one here talks about stabilization, introduction of democracy, or exercising of human rights. They do not talk about adventure, or world exploring. They talk about money.

Will they come here again? A woman-major from a battle unit: "I have been here for two rotations, this one is the worst, a constant stress. No, I will not return." A warrant officer from logistics: "Not a chance, I have enough." A corporal from a maneuver unit: "No. We are the occupiers [actually he was the only soldier who used such expression, others preferred less pejorative terminology]. I shall not return. I wanted to get out of military, but they suggested a pay raise, so maybe I will stay."**

***
According to a non-confirmed intelligence, Mahdi Army fighters are moving to Diwaniya from all over Kadisiya province. The goal - attacking the Polish base. Hopefully this is a false alarm. Let the eighth rotation safely return home in full complement.

Andrzej Talaga

source: http://www.dziennik.pl/Default.aspx?...rticleId=47881
Translated by MZ

[1] Peweks, Pewex, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peweks

[Mishka Zubov]

Szczygło: Equally important missions
written by MON/PAP
Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Today, Aleksander Szczygło, Minister of National Defense, began his visit to Polish Military Contingent KFOR in Kosovo.

During a meeting with Polish soldiers he stressed that Balkan missions are as important as the other ones - especially because of approaching elections and Albanian drive to independence.

"We often forget that this mission deals with a part of Europe, forgotten for years, doomed for the sharp ethnic conflicts. Our soldiers are here to prevent repetition of the situation from the late 90th. This mission is as important as the other ones in which Polish soldiers participate" - said Szczygło after meeting with soldiers stationing in Uroszevac, 60 km from Prisztina.

He stressed that it is too early to withdraw from international forces. "Everyone expects some decisions about future of Kosovo. Albanians' hopes for independence have been - in my opinion - aroused too early. A situation where something does not come to fruition causes frustration. The armed forces cannot be withdrawn in the nearest future, for sure " - he added.

On Thursday Aleksander Szczygło will visit EUFOR soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is anticipated that during his visit to Balkans he will meet with Brigadier Douglas Erhart, a commander of Multinational Task Force - East, and a KFOR commander, LT-Gen Roland Kather.

Polish Military Contingent of NATO-led KFOR mission consists of 280 soldiers from Polish-Ukrainian Battalion, POLUKRBAT. It is responsible for a region of 550 square kilometers, populated mostly by Albanians.

source: http://redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazeta/in...=362&Itemid=54
Translated MZ

Some pictures of Polish soldiers in Kosovo can be found here: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums...postcount=1031

[Jocker_89]

Support for Iraqi farmers


Multinational Division Central South (MND CS) in cooperation with 8th IA Div conducted distribution of fertilizers among farmers in sub district Al Mahnawiya, situated in western part of Quadisija province.



From 7th to 8th of August soldiers from both divisions distributed 340 tons fertilizers among 295 Iraqi families. It was the second stage of large – scale support program, which will spread throughout all sub districts in Quadisija province. In accordance with agriculture support program, farmers united in Agriculture Union will receive rice seeds, fertilizers and agricultural machines. ”As a result of cooperation between 8th Division and The Agriculture Union in Agriculture Support Program, the aid will be provide for needful people and the aid will be carried out according to safety regulations”: commander of MND CS Major General Tadeusz Buk said. ”It’s our main purpose to raise the standard of agricultural production and to reduce unemployment”: stated Colonel Piotr Sadowski chief of civilian – military cooperation branch, the main agriculture program coordinator

Source:
http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/index.php...&id=945&limes=

[Mishka Zubov]

POLISH TROOPS TO JOIN EU'S DARFUR REFUGEE FORCE
Received Monday, 6 August 2007 13:00:00 GMT

WARSAW, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - Poland said Monday it was set to contribute 150 soldiers to an European Union peacekeeping force that aims to protect refugees and neighbour nations hit by the bitter conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.
Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo told reporters that he would ask for a green light for the deployment from President Lech Kaczynski, who has the final say on foreign operations by Polish troops.
Poland acted after a request from France, and is in talks with Paris on the "details of the mission, its precise character and the possible role of the Polish soldiers," he added.
France is among the EU members leading efforts to craft a new force to help stem the bitter conflict in the western Sudanese region, where at least 200,000 people have died from the combined effects of war and famine since fighting erupted in February 2003.
Polish soldiers, mostly from logistics units, could leave for the region in the autumn, Szczyglo said.
The move is part of wider efforts to bolster Darfur peacekeeping efforts which were approved last week by the United Nations Security Council.
In July, the 27-nation EU approved plans to send troops to Sudan's neighbour Chad, which is hosting 236,000 refugees from Darfur and where 173,000 locals have also been displaced by the knock-on effects of the conflict.
The EU troops are also set to be deployed in the Central African Republic.
The spillover of the Darfur conflict has compounded existing strife in both countries, sparking concerns about of a spiralling region-wide crisis.
The goal of the planned European contingent of 1,500-3,000 troops in Chad and the Central African Republic would be to support a UN police mission.
The Security Council voted unanimously last Tuesday to mandate a 26,000-strong UN force to take over peacekeeping in Darfur from 7,000 ill-equipped African Union troops who have been unable to control fighting between Darfur's rebels and forces loyal to the Sudanese government.
A handful of EU members have offered specific support for the UN force, with France and the Netherlands among those who said they would send troops.
Finland has said that a Nordic battle group of 1,500 troops -- to be formed by Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Estonian and also Irish soldiers -- could be deployed in Africa next year
Warsaw already contributes hundreds of troops to UN peacekeeping operations including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lebanon, as well as the NATO-led Kosovo force (KFOR), which has a UN mandate to maintain security in the southern Serbian province.
Poland, which joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004, also has around 1,200 troops with the NATO-commanded force in Afghanistan and 900 with the US-led coalition in Iraq.

source: http://www.adetocqueville.com/200708...6d0gh15137.htm

[Mishka Zubov]

A Polish armoured personnel carrier runs over land mine in Afghanistan
Created: Sunday, August 12. 2007
A Polish Rosomak armoured vehicle hit a land mine last night, 40 kilometres from the military base in Sharan, Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan. No Polish soldiers were injured but the blast severely damaged the vehicle.

The Rosomak was on its way to assist US troops under fire from insurgents. The vehicle has since been taken back to base.

The Polish force, which are part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, has 24 Rosomak armoured personnel carriers which are reinforced with a composite steel outer layer.

Poland sent an additional 1000 troops to Afghanistan this year after an appeal from NATO for reinforcements to tackle a regrouped Taliban. (photo: wiki)

source: http://www.thenews.pl/archives/1002-...ghanistan.html