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August 17, 2004
[Have an opinion about the issues discussed in this article?
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By Jason Chudy,
Stars and Stripes European Edition
Everything about Staff Sgt. Adin Salkanovic says soldier.
His clear, deliberate speech, close-cropped hair and serious demeanor
give him an air of authority usually reserved for those with a lifetime
of military experience, not five years of U.S. Army
service.
Those five years don’t tell the whole story, though.
When he was only 14, Salkanovic spent a year in the Bosnian army,
fighting Serbian forces that surrounded his hometown of Sarajevo for
3½ years between 1992 and 1995.
“I volunteered many times but because of my age they said, ‘no,’”
said Salkanovic, 24, who now serves as a scout with Troop F, 9th Cavalry,
in Baghdad. “But I kept volunteering, I was one of those guys who
wanted to see some action.”
Finally, the army relented and Salkanovic became a soldier, first
proving himself by working with radios or carrying ammunition. After
a few months he moved to the front lines, which were less than 1½
miles from his home.
“It was World War I-style fighting, trench warfare,” he said. “There
were a lot of mortar attacks, howitzers and tanks — a lot of armor
got involved. Both sides took a lot of casualties from the minefields
and snipers.”
After about a year of fighting, Salkanovic’s father was wounded in
battle.
“I kind of quit after my dad was injured,” he said. “I had to take
care of my family. I had volunteered in the first place and they understood
that I could walk out at any time because of my age.”
Salkanovic was the middle of three children and the oldest son, so
it fell on him to provide for the family. He ran the household for
two years until the family emigrated to the United States in 1995
to get medical help for his sister, who had a severe case of scoliosis.
Salkanovic’s family settled in San Jose, Calif., and while his sister
received medical treatment, he attended school.
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| U.S. Army Staff Sgt.
Adin Salkanovic talks about his year as a child soldier in the
Bosnian Army. When he was 14, Salkanovic fought Serb forces
that surrounded his hometown of Sarajevo, only quitting after
his father was wounded in action. (Photo by Enes Dulami, Stars
and Stripes) |
|
“I was lost for three months,” he said. Neither he nor his siblings
spoke English. “I would guess what they were saying from one or two
words and piece it together. After three months we all kind of felt
comfortable speaking English.”
Once his sister’s two surgeries were complete, Salkanovic’s family
decided to move back to Sarajevo, then part of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
in 1997.
I told my dad I wasn’t going to stay,” Salkanovic said. He returned
to San Jose, working construction jobs until he finished high school.
“As soon as I got my high school diploma I joined the Army,” he said.
“I thought I would enjoy it.”
He said the Army gave him no special consideration for his time as
a child soldier. He still had to go through basic training.
And he found the U.S. Army quite different from the Bosnian army.
“As far as training, discipline and equipment … you can’t compare
it,” he said. The Bosnian army “was a regular army, just lacking in
uniformity. Every battalion had their own uniform and standards.”
In 2001, he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, deploying
twice to Kuwait right before and right after Sept. 11, 2001. When
Troop F was created, Salkanovic joined the unit, which is now deployed
to Camp Grey Wolf in the International Zone.
Salkanovic’s history as a child soldier followed him into the unit,
but he doesn’t tell many war stories.
“He doesn’t talk about it unless you ask,” said Troop F 1st Sgt. Kirby
Carter. “Guys who’ve seen bad stuff don’t talk about it. If they talk
about it, they’ve usually had to embellish it.”
Carter said that Salkanovic doesn’t tell stories about combat, but
shares his past combat experience in other ways.
“He’s a real good leader,” Carter said. “When he gets out of the gate,
he flips a switch and he’s ready for combat.”
“He knows a lot,” said Pfc. Joseph Stark, who is part of his scout
squad. “It helps. I’d rather go out with someone who’s been in combat
before.”
Carter said that Salkanovic’s squad has seen some serious combat in
its nearly six months in Iraq.
Shortly after its arrival, the squad fought through a 4½-mile long
coordinated ambush in Abu Ghraib and manned the Baghdad International
Airport perimeter when it came under attack, later clearing the buildings
that had housed the enemy fighters.
“It just clicked over the first time we got engaged,” said Salkanovic
about returning to combat. “It’s just like riding a bicycle.”
“Anyone who fought in a war at 14 will be more mature than your average
young sergeant,” Carter said. “We got a lot of young NCOs who came
as specialists or young sergeants and grew into real good staff sergeants
and will be the future of the NCO corps.”
Salkanovic said he hopes to make the U.S. Army a career.
“I’ve picked a job I like, and it fits my capabilities and personality,”
he said.
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