After several out-of-state trips, Gov. David Beasley took time out from his busy

schedule in 2000 to talk with about his life after the Governor's office and how life is

now with his family in Darlington County.

“I have been having the best time with my family, my children and wife. The most

significant thing has been the quality of family time I've had to reunite with the children

and travel with them and see them on weekdays when I get home at night and have

weekends uninterrupted with them. I wouldn't trade that for any amount of money in the

world.

“People forget we have nine-year-old, a 10-year-old, a six-year-old and a

15-month-old, and so to really have quality time with the children and for them to see

mom and dad together, they get to see the whole family together, which is really

neat.

“Couple that with work. I mean, obviously, a lot has happened in the last year since I

was governor, when my wife about died after having the baby, and then I went to Harvard

and went to Kosovo, and my mom died, you know, having lost the election, a lot has

happened in the last year.

“And I tell you, in spite of all the things that has happened, the good Lord continues to

bless us. We're doing fantastic. Work-wise, I'm a principle with Bingham Consulting.

We're affiliated with an international law firm, and we represent international and national

companies on a national basis with multi-state strategies and helping companies through

the United States, basically, even though now I'm now starting to focus now a little bit on

European and Asian issues and matters.

“We live on a farm near Society Hill between Darlington and Society Hill, and that's

where we are now. We're going to make a decision on whether to renovate or build out

there or what. The children are ready to get horses. We used to ride a lot, so they love

living out at the farm. I mean, you can go fishing and four-wheel riding and riding horses.

The children want horses, so we will probably make a decision. I can't let them read your

article because they might think that I'm going to get them sooner than later.

“I have to embargo what my children read. They'll think, 'Oh, we're getting horses next

week!”

Religion still plays a very important part in Beasley's life.

“As you know, that's a very important part of our lives. Because of our faith, you're

willing to take tough stands and do things that may not be politically expedient. That goes

back to having served as governor. Winning re-election would have been easy. Doing

what I knew to be right in spite of the political consequences is another thing.

“Like I told my staff, on each major issue, I said I want you to assume that this issue w

will defeat us. Are you still committed to fighting for the issue. We made those type of

decisions because you must do what's right, number one, and then sometimes it's just as

important, you must do what is right when it's right to do it. You see what I'm saying? It's

two significantly different things.”

The general theme of the classes he taught at Harvard University was “The Good, Bad

and the Ugly.”

“Your faith is such that you do what is right, and everything else is elementary. I

believe that all things work for the good. Your faith teaches you that, if you really believe,

and we do, and we believe that all things have worked for the good.

“In looking back, you can always say, 'If I didn't do this, and I did that,' well, I made

the decisions. But I wouldn't trade the quality family time that I'm having now for

anything, and all things do work for the good, and we have great faith about that.

“You know, when I look at the last year, having lost my mother and having been in

Kosovo and having almost lost Mary Wood, and having lost an election, you know, it's

easy to say, 'My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?' You know that verse. But

you reflect that all things do work for the good, and the good Lord has a purpose for all

things, and you think about Job. It says, 'Thou you slay me, I shall still trust you.' That

verse popped in my head when the doctors came in after Mary Wood was in critical

condition, and they said they didn't think she was going to make it.

“I said, 'Oh my gosh, Lord, how could you let this happen?' You know, 'Didn't I fight

for you, and didn't I fight for all the right issues and didn't I stand for all the virtuous issues

as governor?' I lost that. That was taken away, and then my wife, who I love so dearly, my

best friend, and you know, it would be so easy to turn your back on God and say, 'God,

what are you doing?' But you know that the good Lord knows best, and you have great

faith about that, and I do. All things work for the good, and they have. I really believe

that. Life's wonderful.”

Kosovo was a learning trip.

“That was a remarkable experience," he said. "I tell you what I'll do, I did six journals

when I was over there. Now, Tim, now understand that I never edited these journals. I did

them in the middle of the night."

The Charleston Post & Courier ran part of one and parts of others.

“Over in Kosovo it made you realize how wonderful our country is, how fortunate we

are to have a great nation as we do. It makes you realize that our country, the people in

our country who believe in God and love our family and respect the institution of

government, it makes you remember how important those virtues and institutions are and

how we must continue to fight to protect the great institutions in America - church, family

and government and a proper relation for all of those.”

Does he have any hobbies?

“I used to horseback ride all the time and woodwork, and I haven't gotten back into

horseback riding yet, but I'm going to probably by summertime. Woodworking is a hobby

that I have. I love to do woodworking. I haven't gotten back into it to the degree that I

was before I was governor, but I imagine probably within the next 10 months I'll be back

into as well.

“I have a woodworking shop and horse barns. I like to play golf, but I really don't take

much time to play. I like to play once every couple of months.”

His favorite food?

“Man, I love all kind of food, a good old hamburger. It's hard to beat a good old

hamburger. I love Italian food. I like Mexican food.”

Beasley reads a lot too.

“I've read probably four or five different books lately," he said. Beasley read one “cute

little book” on an airplane recently.

“I'm reading a book right now called 'The Case for Christ.' It's supposedly an

intellectual classic on apologetics of Christianity, which is one of my hobby areas, if you

want to call that a hobby, on the intellectual, historical and evidenciary substantiation of

the Christian faith.

“I just got through reading a controversial book, Harry Potter, which I thought was

extraordinarily cute. Have you read that?”

What was the happiest day on the job as governor?

“When my children would come visit me in the office,” he said with a laugh. “In terms

of issues it would be when you landed a major company that would be bringing in

hundreds of thousands of jobs for our citizens at a higher pay. Those were great days, or

the tax cuts. I mean that. Knowing that you cut the growth of government and gave

people's money back, that's a good feeling, or seeing a welfare recipient get a

job.

“Announcing jobs was some of the best times, and some of the environmental stuff we

did. Or when we announced the roads and bridge down in Myrtle Beach are on the Grand

Strand. Seeing major problems that people have been grappling with over years, and all of

a sudden you get a solution and get it announced, those are nice days."

Gov. Carroll Campbell is against the lottery that Gov. Jim Hodges is pushing for to

fund education. Beasley is also opposed to a lottery.

“I'm 100 percent opposed to it. I think it's bad for South Carolina. All it does is grow

the government. It fosters the mentality that you can get something for nothing. If the

people want more government, they ought to vote for the lottery because it means nothing

but more government.

“That's all it means. The moral aspect, just lay that aside. The issue is, if you want

more government? If you do, then vote for the lottery. Our money is over, what, $5

billion? And the lottery will bring in a little over $100,000. Each year our budget grows by

four or five hundred million dollars, new money. So what are you going to do with $100

million?

“If you want a lottery just for the sake of having a lottery, then okay, but don't tell me

it's going to be good for education. That argument is a bunch of bull because we already

put $3 billion into education, and each year we put a couple of hundred new million

dollars into education through normal growth, so don't tell me you're going to solve the

education problem with just a piddly hundred million dollars compared to $3

billion.

“That's silly. If you want a lottery, and you want to play the lottery, then be honest

about it. But don't come here and tell me it's going to solve and help education because it's

not. If we can't help education with over $3 billion, you're certainly not going to do it with

$100,000.

“When I was governor, we put over $200 million almost every year in new money into

education, and we did it without an education.”

Why does Beasley support Tex. Gov. George W. Bush Jr. for president?

“Well, he is a close friend of mine, and I support him because I think he will be good

for America. We need someone outside of Washington to go clean up the

Washington-style politics. We need someone who is going to restore integrity to the

White House, and we need a pro-business, pro-family president who believes that

individuals and families and businesses know better how to spend their money than big

government.

“He is a true reformer who will return power to the states, rather than the Gore

approach which is more taxes, more government programs and the

government-knows-best mentality.”

What about the threat over China and Taiwan?

“I'm very concerned. I've actually spoken on this a couple of times about this in the

past few years. I'm very concerned. China is desiring to flex its muscle as a new world

player, and I think that we have mishandled the China relationship in the last five or 10

years, in part because of Clinton and Gore being influence so much by Chinese monies that

I think it's hampered our integrity to stand firm on policy with the Chinese.

“We have a mixed relationship with them right now. Taiwan has been a great friend of

ours, and I think we need to be very careful in how we approach that issue now. How we

approach that issue now is different from how we approached it 10 years ago because we,

in my opinion, have not addressed some of the issues that we should have more

effectively.

“Like we did in Kosovo when the United States dropped the ball on Kosovo. I think

there were some Republicans and Democrats. If we had been more effectively involved in

the Balkan region in the last 10 years, we would not have had this conflict, in my opinion,

with the question of sending in troops.

“But that's what happens when you get a president who's consumed with sexual affairs

and scandals and scandals and not focusing on the United States' interests at all times.

That's the good thing about having someone like George Bush. We won't have someone

who is mired in scandals, but more committed to resolving national and international

issues.”

Will he ever consider running for office in the future?

“Well, Tim, I think everybody assumes because of my age, and because you know,

that everybody knows that the gambling people bought the election, you know, what did

they spend, $15 million? Twenty million? I don't know. Everybody assumes that I'll go

back into politics. Tim, honestly, I don't know. I know at this time in my life, I am

enjoying being with my family and enjoying the private life. Does that mean I will never

enter back into politics? Who knows? I've learned never to say never, but truthfully I'm

not thinking about political office in the future at this point in time. I'm just enjoying the

private life. Who knows?”

************

Former Gov. Beasley sent me his e-mail writings from his trip to Kosovo, and this is

what he wrote after I edited it a little.
 
 

David Beasley’s journal from Kosovo

By David Beasley

edited by Tim Bullard
 
 

Seeing what I am seeing at this moment and typing on a crate box I am not too

concerned about such small matters. I just hope that this will provide some insight as to

what is happening here. Also, this was done days ago, so keep that in mind.

The flight over was fine. As a former Governor, I was quite used to the lifestyle of

traveling from airport to airport, city to city, country to country. Why should this flight be

any different? Simple. I was heading to a region of the world we Americans only recently

have come to know so much more about, the Balkans. A region that most of us were

generally oblivious to.

Was I mentally and physically prepared for what I was to encounter in the refugee

camps in Macedonia along the Kosovo border? Probably not, but I was going. I had to.

But, how? Who do you call? Where do you even start to find out? Former US Senator

David Pryor, a Fellow with me at Harvard, decided he was going to help in Albania

through the International Rescue Committee. I was moved by his concern for the human

misery being reported every day, a compassion that I shared deeply. David (Senator

Pryor) wanted to help and so did I.

Helping people in crisis and in great need is something that rings to my core and I think

to the average American. It is in part why America is such a great nation. We were not

going to make policy or to shape consensus, something that had been a way of life for us

as leaders in the world's most powerful nation, but rather, we were going to simply

provide a helping hand. We would do whatever was needed to help just some of the more

than 750,000 refugees from Kosovo.

When I called the IRC to offer help, thinking that I would go to Albania to assist David

who had left a week or so earlier, the Vice President in charge of the overseas department,

Barbara Smith, told me that I could be more helpful in Macedonia. I didn't think much of

it at the time as I knew so little not only of Albania but Macedonia as well. Now, having

been here, I understand why she thought as she did. A few days before I was to leave,

David called back to the States suggesting I reconsider going.

I think he knew he was probably wasting his breath, but based on what he had already

seen first hand, he felt compelled to call and tell me. My conversation with him only

made me more determined to go. Over the next few days, I read as much information as I

could (much of which I got off the (Internet) to better understand what I was heading

into.

Packing was tough because I needed to take as little as possible not to mention

knowing what to take to work in a camp for two weeks. talked with IRC and other

experienced people who were most helpful in this regard. This may not seem important,

but once you are in a refugee camp, the basics become so critical. The weather was cold

and quickly getting hot over there. This compounded my packing problem.

Arriving in Zurich, I disembarked SwissAir's 747 (the flight and service was perfect

and given where I was headed I was glad), picked up my luggage, passed through

customs and headed to the terminal area where I would fly AvioImpex to Skopje

(pronounced sko-pe-ya), the capital of Macedonia. Because of the turmoil in the Balkans

region, the number of flights had been significantly reduced if not terminated by most

commercial airlines, such as those to the war zone area of Belgrade. As I entered the gate

area for my plane, I began to realize that my desire to help was more than a dream, it was

the beginning of an experience that I would never forget. The people waiting in the gate

area were not there for a vacation to Macedonia.

They were by and large Macedonians heading home, a land that historically has seen

conflict in one fashion or another. The difference: that was then, and this was now. And

that is a big difference. As I meandered through the crowd to the desk to make sure I was

on the flight, I could tell by the many quick glances that they considered me an outsider. I

was. Since being here, that perception has only been reinforced.

The flight to Skopje was absolutely beautiful as I looked out the window seeing the

wonder and beauty of the Swiss Alps. Not having had much sleep, I dozed off waking just

before landing. As we approached the runway, reality spoke again upon the sight of

NATO military jets, helicopters (Apache, for example), other equipment and military

personnel all about the Skopje airport. Welcome to Macedonia, a nation that many say

will be the next Kosovo.

They say it is not an "if" but a when. "Three, five or ten years", who knows, just a

matter of time. More on that later. I went through customs, received my visa and walked

out of the airport looking for someone who was looking for me. It was a real joy to see

and meet Bob Turner, the Director of IRC/Macedonia, a Canadian, dedicated with many

experiences of this nature under his belt. We exchanged pleasantries, threw my backpack

and one piece of luggage (just the basics) in the back of the IRC jeep, and immediately

headed for the IRC command post/office.

Bob briefed me along the way to the IRC office. I had more questions than there was

time to answer. Each answer begged a new question not just about the condition of the

refugees but also about how did it all come to this. This place was really a mess and was

only getting worse.

The drive from the airport to Skopje was clear evidence that Macedonia was not a

wealthy nation by any sort of the imagination. In fact, the average monthly wage is $160

and unemployment at 50%. Let me spell that out to assure no ambiguity.…one hundred

and sixty dollars a month. Not much. The roads are not third world, but they're not far off

either.

As we entered the capitol city, it was obvious that this was not a typical European

country. There was little to nothing that resembled Europe, arguably more Turkish. It was

poor and truly had long felt the destructive impact of decades of communism. Individual

innovation and creativity we know so well in America had been snuffed out for years. It

was Balkan, just that simple. This is the crossroads of the east and the west.

Bob took me up to the IRC office, nothing fancy, just basic temporary office space

with the necessary equipment to get the job done in crisis situations. It was the middle of

the afternoon. Naturally, the office was busy with only a few people as the others were in

the camps. They were moving quickly with a sense of urgency, not in chaos, but a

genuinely desire to get the problem of the moment resolved quickly so more unnecessary

suffering by the refugees would not take place. I met Marcel Grogan, Dep. Dir of

IRC/Macedonia, indispensable to Bob's team. Marcel is age 35, Irish born, with a lot of

experience, something needed in a crisis of this magnitude. Bob needed some time in the

office to make some decisions. Marcel and I headed out to the camps.

We visited that first afternoon Stenkovac I, Stenkovac II, and Blace (pronounced

blah-chee), three of the 8 or 9 refugee camps in Macedonia. I was not prepared for what I

was to see. Who could be, except those who do this type relief work on a regular basis,

and even they never get used to it. (more later as I am out of time)

On that first day in Macedonia, May 10, when we drove into Stenkovac I refugee

camp, it hit me. We weren't talking about a few people being displaced. Macedonia was

now the transitional home for approximately one third of the 750,000 refugees. Tents

were everywhere, packed on top of one another like sardines in a can. Military tents lined

the entrance. The Macedonian government had provided NATO and thr

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) very limited land to help the refugees and they

were making the best with what they could. Stank I as we call it had over 25,000 refugees

and Stankovac II, 20,000. Blace R/C was empty for the moment as it is basically a one day

holding camp where the refugees cross the border.

The Macedonian military checked our credentials and let us pass through the tightly

guarded entrance. They nor NATO were wearing water pistols, real weapons with real

bullets, another reminder of reality. The fence surrounding the camp resembled that of a

medium/maximum security prison. The refugees were alive but definitely not free. The

faces on the refugees were unforgettable and yet indescribable…the pain, the misery, the

suffering, the exhaustion.

As I meandered through the camp, getting an overview of the operations from Marcel,

I saw many smiles, some forced, some not. I could only imagine based on what I had

already heard what each and every single person here had gone and was going through.

Each refugee has his or her own unique story to tell. While they may be called

refugees, they are people…moms, dads, sons, daughters, grandmas, granddads, engineers,

doctors, teachers, community leaders, and the list goes on. They could very well be the

next door neighbor in America. I wanted to hear them all, but that was not possible. I just

couldn't fathom how this came to be. Why did it get this far? Why did the European

leadership not do more to head this off? For that matter, the United States. Should we be

involved, and if so, to what degree? All very legitimate questions. I am developing my

thoughts about all of that, but now is not the time. There is plenty time for questions. I am

here to help not to judge. Right now, the refugees need food, shelter, clothing and much

more.

As I continued through the camp, I began to realize the complexity and the enormous

task of operating a refugee camp. It is not a simple matter. Stank I, for example, is a small

city of 25,000 people. The differences of a normal city though are enormous and obvious:

no one can leave except you; you provide three meals a day for each person; you provide

the tents and set them up; you provide necessary clothing as most came with nothing; you

provide clean potable water throughout for drinking and bathing; you collect the garbage

and trash generated; you provide sanitary bathing and latrine facilities (rudimentary); you

provide all medical attention; you provide any schooling for the children; the list goes on.

Add to this, 20,000 people at any moment could cross the border. This must all be set

up literally within a few days and your hands to a great degree are tied behind your back.

To make things worse, you must do all this in an area about the size of who knows, 8

to 10 football fields and almost everyone inside is traumatized. It is not easy. It is not fun.

Somebody's got to do it. I thank God for so many willing and caring people like those at

the IRC who put their lives at risk for a fight that is not theirs. Maybe it is.

Walking between the tents, many children would come up and say "hello." Their

accents are cute as they are so proud they can speak to a foreigner in another language.

Sometimes you might get a "bon jour." The French NATO troops secure Stank I and are

all throughout the camp in uniform and with weapons, a stark reminder of an

incomprehensible reality. The smiles of the children do more to settle tension in an

overcrowded camp than anything.

More on the daily life and scenes later.

During the tour of the camp, I met many of the good ex-pats (ex-patriots as we are

called) of the IRC. They were working extremely hard. They appeared to be such a

committed team and there for all the right reasons. There was little time to talk as they had

a lot to do. More on what the IRC does later.

We then went to Stenkovac II. It is a much nicer site for a refugee camp. Here, there

is more land, a very important fact in running a camp. The less land you have the more

crowded it is. The more crowded it is, the higher tensions get and the greater the

probabilities of an epidemic of some sort. Problems of sanitation are magnified. At Stank

II, there is plenty of land between the tents which allows the children to play and run

around. You find more of a neighborhood feeling (as much as you could under these

circumstances). Anything you can do to make life for the refugees as normal as possible

(which is not possible), everyone is better off. More on that later.

From Stank II, we went to Blace R/C. Blace is on the border of Kosovo and

Macedonia. Blace is used as a transition camp. The refugees stay at Blace for 24 hours

and then are transitioned to one of the regular camps. The exception to this was when

65,000 refugees showed up at the Blace border at the beginning of the exodus. Obviously,

no camps were set up.

The Macedonian government was slow in letting the refugees cross. They stayed in

"no-man's land", a small piece of land between the two borders. They had no shelter, little

to no food, and it was raining and cold. Some refer to this area as "the Valley of Death".

Marcel and I stood in the middle of Blace R/C. It was empty this day. Being empty was

good and bad news. Good in that there were no more refugees coming, bad in that why

not. Were the Serbs killing them before they got here. Hopefully not, but the possibility

seriously existed. The stories I will speak about later and many similar ones which have

already been reported in the news back home tell of the thousands upon thousands of

executions of ethnic Albanians by the Serbians. There is another possibility and I cannot

speak about that at the moment. More on that later. I am out of time and must go. More

later.

***********

J.R. hugs all the refugee workers that have worked with him over the past month or so

at Stank II (Stankovac II). He gives his Swiss Army knife(the big expensive one) to his

best worker. This is an honor. Some of the refugee families have tears in their eyes as they

are seeing their new friend leave. They have witnessed day in and day out his dedication

and tireless commitment to them. He is leaving to go back home. J.R. is a doctor in

Pennsylvania. As an ex-pat, he has dedicated a month to the International Rescue

Committee to help the Kosovo refugees. This is not his first experience. He has done this

before and for longer periods of time, costing him back home dearly. He is moved by a

genuine compassion to help people.

Another IRC ex-pat, A.J., talks at length with him to make sure all the bases are

covered. They have worked together as a team…a very, very effective team. A.J. is a

doctor from New York City , the Dean at NYU School of Medicine as well as the

Director of the Center for Global Health. He is dedicating at least a couple of months to

the Kosovo crisis and he is one of the best ex-pats in the business. He is not here for

money. As a young man growing up with missionary parents in Zaire (now the Democrat

Republic of Congo), he has personal experiences as a refugee and knows the pain of ethnic

cleansing. His stories are remarkable. He faced life and death a number of times. The

mercy of God must have been with him.

A.J. and J.R. wear many hats at Stank II, a camp with over 20,000 refugees. They may

be doctors but that is not their primary function here at Stank II. Usually they come to

primarily provide medical care through IRC. When they arrived in Macedonia, the

decision had already been made that another NGO would do that. As it turns out, The IRC

is in charge of sanitation at Stank I & II, a most important mission. As I have come to

learn more about refugee camps, I have begun to understand why this is so. Anyway, both

A.J. and J.R. willingly and energetically take on the mission without any regards to ego.

They understand that when sanitation breaks down, people get sick. Sickness spreads

like a wild fire in refugee camps. For example, in a refugee camp near Goma in eastern

Zaire in 1994, at the height of an epidemic, over 2,000 refugees died per day for almost

two weeks. When people are forced to live in a small area in the elements with no place to

put the sick, the dying, the dead, the bodily waste (urine and fecal), and the list goes on, it

is not too hard to realize the consequences...an epidemic, a serious one. Once it is out of

the box, it is like putting air back into a balloon.

A.J. and J.R. don't want that to happen. In fact, they don't want a single person to get

sick because of sanitation. They are doctors and they consider this preventive care. It is. I

have enjoyed working with them, from sitting down planning designs and locations to the

down and dirty. If you think you know stink, you don't until you know it at a refugee

camp. Our job is to have plenty of "stink holes", put them in the safest of places, build

them the best way for use and cleaning, monitor them, clean them, and pump out the

"trench" on a timely basis. I never thought there could be so many ways to figure such

things, but now I know. At Stank II there are over 850 stink holes (not including the

portables) and 20,000 refugees each producing on average around one to two liters of

waste, solid and fluid every single day.

Stink holes must be cleaned at least once a day….every single one of them. You must

learn to be creative, innovative and use plain old common sense. And be careful. When

cleaning or just touching an entrance way" to a latrine, you can easily get fecal matter on

you (children aren't so careful) and the next thing you know you have picked up a

contagious and maybe even fatal disease. I carry in my pocket a small plastic bottle of

hand sanitizer just in case. In fact, it has come in handy a number of times when there was

not clean water nearby.

Sanitation includes more than latrines, it also includes garbage. That is where Adrian

(from England) and T.J. (a building contractor from Amsterdam,) come into play. Both

Stank I and Stank II together have anywhere between 35-50,000 refugees at any give

moment, and it is Adrian and T.J.'s responsibility to get it picked up and taken from the

camp.

“Garbage and refuge can provide optimum conditions for disease. Couple this with a

hot summer of rats and flies, you have got yourself health crisis. The IRC team

understands its mission. There are over 480 trash barrels and over 45 large bins in Stank I

alone. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 tons of trash every single day is generated in

this one camp. Not everyone throws trash in the waste receptacles either, so they have to

devise a plan to have the litter picked up off the ground. They organize teams for garbage

collection as well as attempt to educate the refugees on the importance of cleanliness.

The Balkans culture (Albanians, Serbs, Macedonians, etc) regarding cleanliness and

good hygiene is extraordinarily lacking. Many are very clean when it comes to the inside

of their own home (tent as well), but as to the community, forget it. They have very little

community concept nor pride in this regard. Trash is everywhere. In the camps (cleaner

than the communities in some respects), on the roads, sidewalks, parks, by the rivers, in

and about everywhere, but not in the home….it is hard to believe. Rivers are filthy and

nasty. Piles and piles of trash are just dumped along the roads and rivers. There are

minimal environmental laws and regulations and there is virtually no enforcement of the

ones that exist. It is a shame.

It will break your heart to see how they pollute and destroy their environment. I don't

have time to get into all that now. I am out of time again and I must go.

*************

It is 5:30 a.m. Time to get started. It is early, and the IRC team has much to do today

and everyday here at Neprosteno Camp. The later you get started in the morning the more

behind you are later in the day. And that is not good, especially when your population

numbers are stable with no new refugees coming in. When a small camp like Neprosteno

gets unannounced a thousand or two thousand new refugees, that is when chaos hits. So if

you are having problems now, just wait.

I am a little tired, so forgive any lack of clarity. It is not because I have been in

Macedonia for a week. I went to sleep last night around 10:15 p.m. (what else do you do

in a camp), but the Germans stayed up late talking, maybe 2 a.m. (Thank goodness it

started raining.) If that is my biggest problem today, it will be a good day. The tent was

spacious, as you need only room to sleep. Last night, there were only three people in the

tent.

IRC is in charge of Neprosteno. Other NGO's assist in special missions. For example,

Die Johanniter (DJ), a German NGO, is in charge of health (medical); UNICEF is in

charge of education for the children; World Food Program (WFP), food distribution to the

camp; and so forth. While each has their responsibilities, there is much cooperation, give

and take, and needed flexibility. For example, DJ received a major donation in from

Germany of some food and they asked IRC/Neprosteno if they wanted it. IRC/Neprosteno

inquired as to what it was. It was a fit.

The Neprosteno Camp on this day has around 5,250 refugees, down a couple thousand

from the week before. That is a lot of people to feed every single day. We distributed the

food this morning to all the refugee families. This is a normal day. Every family came by

the distribution tent to pick up there food. Each family has a card that is used for

identification and control purposes. A lot of day to day preparation and planning goes in

to making this run smoothly. IRC works with World Food to make sure that the

nutritional diet is good and the quality and quantity of food per family/person is adequate.

This can change from day to day depending on many factors like the availability of food.

There is no hot food (cooked) here at this time.

Around 6:30am, we began to unload one of the trucks that had boxes of special fruit

flavored cream cheese, cheese, and sweet cake of some sort. This was a treat for the

refugees. The day to day food has the necessary nutritional value, but it usually is dried or

canned food and not too tasty. We carefully calculate how many boxes need to come off

the truck based on the number of refugees and the size of each unit of food. The food

remaining on this truck will be sent to a distribution point somewhere in a city near

Neprosteno, Tetoba, so families in the general area that are housing refugees will be able

to get some food. This area has many Albanians and is much more receptive to refugees.

This is not the case in and near Skopje. After unloading the truck, the thousand or so

boxes (8,000 units of food) of food are properly organized and arranged with the other

food like bread already in the distribution tent. Many of the refugees help us and they are

rewarded and/or compensated in several ways. By this time, it is after 8:00 a.m. and we are

ready for distribution. Each family will get their fare share. They begin to line up. Who

comes from each family varies. We have it organized so that it is an assembly line. I did

not realize it would take so long. It was 10:30 a.m. or so when we finished. Because we

were handing out sweet cake, a lot of people tried to talk their way into another unit of

cake.

Some families get more bread, cheese or whatever than others based on the size of the

family. The exception comes with young children and elderly that could get more than the

daily rationed amount. IRC makes certain that when there is a special or tasty food

distributed that the refugees understand clearly that this is an isolated incident. You don't

want high expectations built. They have had enough let downs. Keep expectations low,

let them know you truly care, and do the best you can.

While handing out the food, I spoke to each refugee coming through in his or her own

Albanian language. I don't speak Albanian, but I did speak a few words and or phrases

that I have learned since being here. Phrases and words like: good morning, bon appetit,

thank you, this way, stop, yes, no, quick-quick, etc. I was their morning entertainment,

Albanian with a Southern drawl. By and large they were and are very grateful for the food

as well as any efforts to speak their language. I learned most of my Albanian the night

before when I had played keep away ball with some of the young children. After we

played ball, I sat down with them and taught them some basic English words. I started with

three or four children ages seven to 10, but within 30 minutes I had about 30 children and

growing. They love to learn and they love to help out. They are so much fun. I wish I

could spend more time with them. They taught me a slew of new Albanian words. They

referred to me as "teacher" and for that I was truly humbled and honored. These are some

of the great moments working in a refugee camp. The more the children and adults get to

know you, the more their faces and hearts open up. This can be very helpful. Establishing

friendships and trust can prove essential if things begin to go bad in a refugee camp.

After we distributed the food, I was beat and it was still early. The Neprostena/IRC

team doesn't miss a beat. There is no time to waste. You would think that it is time for a

break and/or lunch. Forget that. There is too much to do. You don't gain wait in a refugee

camp. You lose it. Much planning must be done for the remainder of the day, remainder of

the week, short term and long term. They sit down under a tent and discuss problems,

concerns and needs. IRC has running a camp down to a science, but it truly evolves

moment by moment and you must continuously plan and strategize to minimize potential

problems. Thankfully, there was a rain shower that cooled things down and the clouds

provided much needed cover from the sun, the makings of a good day. It was. Oh, there

were some problems, but nothing insurmountable. For example, a bus showed up to pick

up some of the refugees and take them to third countries. There is a fairly sophisticated

system in determining which refugees are chosen for third countries. This is not an IRC

matter. This generally falls under the UNHCR and IOM. This time there is a screw up.

They have 150 refugees waiting at the secured entrance with all their belongings, ready

to go and only one bus shows up. Someone on the UN side dropped the ball. Buses are

not too easy to come by. This gets worked out. Another typical day to day to problem is

with a tractor that is used for cleaning out the latrines. A part on the tractor breaks. This

can be a headache in the states getting parts. Try getting them in Macedonia. With the

lasting influence of communism no one is in too big of hurry to fix your problem. They

have not caught on to the entrepreneurial spirit yet. In fact, knowing that there is no

competition, some of the private business men know they have a captive audience

(captured is a better word). They'll get to it when they can (by the looks of things they

have nothing else to do) and when they do, they are going to try and make their year's

profit.

You got to get it fixed though. The latrines cannot go a day without being cleaned

and/or pumped out, otherwise health and sanitation problems results. That is a sure-fire

way of having an epidemic outbreak. Nevertheless, IRC as usual gets it resolved. They

have learned to improvise, be creative and innovative. For the sake of the refugees, they

must.

The late afternoon is a special time now that the days are getting hot. It cools down

and is very pleasant to walk around and watch the children play. Neprosteno has little land

space, around 50 acres. There are over 250 tents for the over 5,250 refugees and little

space in between. You work with what is given to you. The children entertain themselves

in many different ways, as they are so resilient. The teen-agers are a bit different. They

require more planning and activities, especially after they have been cooped up for over a

month or so. (A 15-18 year old male in a refugee camp can create serious problems.)

There is no grass, just white rocks. On sunny days, you can hardly open your eyes

because of brightness and it gets very hot. And these are not the real hot days. Those are

coming. Yesterday, it might have been 85-90 degrees, but inside the heavy green

canvassed tents it was absolutely miserable. With no place to walk and little to no shade, it

is tough. Heat exhaustion and dehydration become concerns. In fact, the head of DJ came

over, and we discussed a way to have people go by each tent and talk with the family

members about drinking plenty of fluids especially water. As the days get hotter, I am

hopeful and so is IRC that we can get the tents changed for cooler ones, otherwise, there

very well may be some heat deaths, etc.

The average day of an IRC worker varies, but none are short. They IRC camp workers

rotate around sleeping in the camp and staying in an apartment nearby. All this depends

and varies. At first I did not understand that, now I do. The camp workers must maintain

their health and sanity, etc. The work hours are long, starting very early in the morning, 5

or 6 a.m. and lasting anywhere from 6 to 10 p.m. These are the hours when the camps are

running smoothly. At the beginning and during mass refugee movement, the hours are

even longer. You have to be cut out for this type work. The IRC workers are an

impressive and committed lot.

I am out of time for the moment. More later.

***********

The stories are never-ending. Why should it be otherwise? Every single Albanian

refugee has a story. One thing we know for certain, they all have not left their homeland of

hundreds if not thousands of years for no reason. In Macedonia alone, there are around

250,000 refugees. In Albania, another 500,000 or so. The refugees keep coming. Many of

the stories are the same. There is unquestionably a pattern of operation. It is well

orchestrated by the Serbs. And it is evil in its truest form.

I wish I could say that I have never heard anything like it before, but I have…the

Holocaust. I think we all thought that something like that could not nor would not happen

again. Wrong. It has and it will. There are evil people, always have been and always will

be. Plain and simple. Don't fool yourself otherwise. You might expect such things from

extremists and/or nuts, but not from average and reasonable people. Think again. It may

not be that the average persons engage in the most horrible of horrors like

execution-styled murders, rapes, burning of homes, etc., but after hearing the stories one

after another, I am convinced that many of the average Serbian citizens have yielded to the

extremism and provided support in one way or another. At first, I thought maybe the local

Serbian citizens were just turning their heads as the executions, beatings, rapings, and

forced evictions were taking place, but now I believe otherwise. They have been and

definitely are acquiescing if not supporting certain various aspects of the ethnic cleansing

taking place. Their hands are not clean.

I have personally heard dozens of stories firsthand and secondhand from the refugees.

Whether in Albania or Macedonia, the refugees tell similar accounts of the atrocities. I

will lay out in brief summarization just a few of the stories leaving out the names of the

refugees for their protection and the protection of their families remaining in Kosovo.

These stories are mere examples of the hundreds of thousands just like them.

She was an Albanian from a village near Pristina within Kosovo. The Serbian soldiers

(police, military or paramilitary) stormed her home forcing her family of three out into the

street. A Serbian soldier grabbed her infant child by the feet swinging the baby as fast and

as hard as he could smashing the child's head against a tree. The child's head was crushed

resulting instantly in death. Immediately, the soldier turned and at point blank shot her

husband in the head killing him. They then forced her to leave her home, her village and

her country. She now was without a home, without a child, without a husband and

without a country. Her home now is a refugee camp( Cegrane) and her new family

members are those that share her sorrow.

He was a medical doctor in Pristina. The Serbs forced him 10 years ago to stop

practicing medicine. He tells how the Albanian doctors were forced out of medicine and

that many if not most went to the underground economy, cleaning homes, selling produce

or whatever they could. He says that as many as a half a million young people have left

Kosovo over the past ten years. It is a brain drain and this is in part what the Serbs want.

The Serbs have been and are effectively destroying the Albanian intellectual capitol and

leadership (present and future). The Albanian doctors were replaced with Serb doctors. I

have heard this same story from doctor after doctor. This particular doctor is working

with us in the Stank II refugee camp. The IRC has effectively put together a great plan to

better educate the refugees on health and proper hygiene. This team of 10 or so Albanian

doctors that now live in Stank II will divide up and go to every single tent and family in

the camp. IRC has learned from experience not just the importance of good health and

sanitation, but also the importance of using the talent within the refugee community to

help address the problems from within. Refugee helping refugee not only helps the refugee

in need, but also is the beginning of a process to re-establish community and individual

responsibility. Many if not all of the refugees upon entering the camp were so traumatized

that they could basically not function for several days to a week. I am not just talking

about frail people, but also strong tough men. It is remarkable.

A 39-year-old, Kosovar Albanian woman from Pristina claimed that in early April some

friends warned her that Serbian military (police or otherwise) would be in her

neighborhood in one hour. She gathered her family, a few possessions and headed for

Macedonia. On the road, her family waited for four days in a 15 mile-long-line of vehicles

before the Serbs turned them all around and forced them back to Pristina. A few days

later, she tried to escape again through another route, this time to the Jazince border

crossing. She left her car in a 3 mile long line and walked to the border. The Serbian police

tried to confiscate her identity documents, but she lied to them saying that the documents

had already been confiscated. There are several reasons the Serbs are confiscating the

Kosovar Albanians' documents. If the refugee has no way to identify who they are then

confusion, complications take place. There are difficulties establishing who you are or

where you are from. Plus, if any of them do get back to their home area, they will not be

able to legally make claim to their property since they can't prove who they are. The Serbs

will not recognize their claim. Imagine what it would be like if you had no way to I.D.

yourself, and the government is hostile. It gets even messier but that is enough for now.

A young Kosovar Albanian young woman (about 20 years of age) tells how her family

had been on the move for over a year before the Serbs forced them to leave the end of

March. They fled a small village near Pristina in 1998 when Serbian police looted and

burned their home. They stayed in the woods for three months and went to Pristina until

paramilitaries forced them to leave. They joined a crowd in the street going to the train

station where the paramilitaries robbed them and took their identification papers. At the

train station the young woman was forced into an adjacent yard where a group of about

20 paramilitaries were waiting. They threatened to rape her and asked her which one of

them she wanted to go first. They held a knife to her throat and took off her upper clothes.

They put guns to her head and knives to her body, touching her all over. They were

trying to take her pants off when another paramilitary entered the courtyard and told the

others to let her go. She then ran out into the street with no shirt. Other refugees gave her

clothes. Serbian police, paramilitaries, VJ and Roma forced the people to the trains. The

young woman says that she saw Serbian police force two ethnic Albanians into Pinzguar

trucks. She and her family boarded a train going to the border.

Another family was forced from their home and as they were running the Serb police

stopped them. The police beat her brother, breaking his nose, and took his identification

documents. The police threatened to kill the family if they were not out of the town at the

end of the day. They hid for two days until they could board a train for the border.

I have heard stories of mass raping taking place, but I have heard no firsthand

evidence. It very well may be taking place as a part of the systematic process of ethnic

cleansing.

A middle aged Albanian man tells that the VJ entered his home, telling him that he and

his family that they have 5 minutes to leave for Macedonia. They joined outside a group of

people forced to walk to the train station where they boarded for Macedonia. Once they

crossed the border into "no-man's land" between Kosovo and Macedonia, Serbian military

forced them back into Serbia where they were held in a factory with about 50 men and

boys. Paramilitary took him outside and forced him to the river where he saw the bodies of

15 people. They accused him of working with the KLA and taunted him, showing him

different knives and asking him which one they should use on him. The man jumped in the

river, swimming downstream. Later, he was recaptured by Serbian Police wearing black

masks (I have heard a number of stories of men with black masks, which helps avoid ID

later on, etc), taken to the police station and beaten time after time to the point of

unconsciousness. They finally released him telling him that his family was dead (very

common story when many times they are not dead, just furthering the trauma). He

crossed the border and was reunited with his family at a refugee camp.

I hope that I have time later to tell of how thousands of refugees were on the road for

days in the brutal cold and rain only to find themselves in "no-man's land" with no food, no

shelter, no latrines, nobody to help. They were in between countries with no one allowed

to help. There were around 65,000 refugees on a very small piece of land. I have been

there and it truly must have been miserable, especially after and on top of all that they had

been through.

There is story after story, many much worse than the few I've briefly mentioned. There

are stories of mass killings whereby mothers, children would watch others just get

slaughtered before their very own eyes. The Serbs take their belongings. They enter the

homes and get everything. They burn homes. They burn homes with people inside. They

take homes and occupy them. They systematically and well orchestrated do these things.

The Serbian civilians by and large do nothing except for those who take advantage of the

crisis.

This is taking place even to this day. Refugees are crossing the border as I write and

the atrocities continue. There are now Kosovo villages that are completely deserted now.

The refugees crossing the border now say that there is a food shortage in Kosovo. People

are coming across hungry. Some are coming across wounded. I guess they are the lucky

ones. Many are hiding out in the woods, waiting for the opportune moment to cross. The

Serbs are placing more and more landmines and other similar explosive devices

throughout the countryside and border areas. Much of this is occurring right across the

border from where I am at Blace. Most likely the Serbs are and or will be wiring homes,

schools and other buildings with explosive devices. This was done in Bosnia and other

Balkan areas. They go into homes, take all the possessions, appliances and anything of

value including door frames, window frames, etc, and then clip all the wiring, clog the

piping and put in some type of trip wiring explosives. Many believe that it is happening

now.

The street talk now is that Serbian civilians are leaving Kosovo expecting the war to

end soon. Those that participated or acquiesced in the cleansing feel they will not be safe if

and when the Albanians return. The Kosovo Albanians that I talk with say otherwise.

Who really knows. I am out of time and hope to have more to say later.