Jeff Stinchcomb

When the Dayton Peace Accords finally established peace in Bosnia in 1995, the United States sent soldiers to the region in order to enforce the agreement and maintain stability. Jeff Stinchcomb, a military reservist, was stationed in Bosnia during the NATO peacekeeping efforts in 2000. In the following editorial, Stinchcomb reports on the various reactions he received as an American soldier in Bosnia. He discovered that many Bosnians—especially Serbs—hated Americans and resented foreign intervention in their affairs. On the other hand, Stinchcomb met some Bosnians who thought that American peacekeepers were enforcing the peace in a professional and effective manner. Stinchcomb also spoke with Bosnian children who had begun to feel more optimistic about the future due to the peace established by American soldiers.

The soccer field is pristine, lush and green, trimmed like no fairway ever was&mdash...