KFOR RC-E supports World Environment Day in Kosovo

By Staff Sgt. Melisa Washington | 100th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentJune 8, 2020

KFOR RC-E supports World Environment Day in Kosovo
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Jamie Harrison and Sgt. Aaron Crane of Kosovo Force Regional Command East Liaison Monitoring Team “Kilo 20” pick up trash along a creek of Vitina/Viti, Kosovo on June 5, 2020. LMT personnel from “Kilo 20” out of Camp Bondsteel and Maneuver Battalion personnel out of Camp Nothing Hill participated in area beautification in observation of World Environment Day. The city’s mayor, Sokol Haliti, invited the RC-E Soldiers to plant flowers and a tree and spray-paint an amphitheater in the town square and pick up trash at a nearby creek along with personnel from the Kosovo Security Force, Kosovo Police, and local fire department and city officials. LMTs are charged with maintaining relationships with their designated municipalities in RC-E in order to best provide support to the institutions in Kosovo in their mission to maintain a safe and secure environment. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Melisa Washington) VIEW ORIGINAL
KFOR RC-E supports World Environment Day in Kosovo
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Jamie Harrison and 2nd Lt. Phillip Milam of Kosovo Force Regional Command East Liaison Monitoring Team “Kilo 20” pick up trash in the town square of Vitina/Viti, Kosovo on June 5, 2020. LMT personnel from “Kilo 20” out of Camp Bondsteel and Maneuver Battalion personnel out of Camp Nothing Hill participated in area beautification in observation of World Environment Day. The city’s mayor, Sokol Haliti, invited the RC-E Soldiers to plant flowers and a tree and spray-paint an amphitheater in the town square and pick up trash at a nearby creek along with personnel from the Kosovo Security Force, Kosovo Police, and local fire department and city officials. LMTs are charged with maintaining relationships with their designated municipalities in RC-E in order to best provide support to the institutions in Kosovo in their mission to maintain a safe and secure environment. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Melisa Washington) VIEW ORIGINAL

VITINA, Kosovo – U.S. military personnel from Kosovo Regional Command East helped the town of Vitina/Viti observe World Environment Day by planting flowers and trees and picking up trash June 5.

Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers from KFOR RC-E’s Liaison Monitoring Team (LMT) “Kilo 20” and Maneuver Battalion, deployed to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian, participated in the annual beautification effort in the town square and along a nearby creek.

“We were invited by the mayor of Vitina,” said 2nd Lt. Phillip Milam, Kilo 20 commander. “This is one of the first big events we have done since the COVID pandemic started and we are excited to help while maintaining safety measures.”

The RC-E Soldiers worked alongside Mayor Sokol Haliti as well as fire department, police and Kosovo Security Force personnel. Haliti said the city holds the event every year.

“I’m very happy to see all the different people that came out to support this year,” said Haliti. “It’s very exciting.”

LMT personnel maintain and strengthen relationships within their designated municipalities. Maneuver Battalion personnel have a different mission of providing patrolling operations in support of maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo.

Spc. Sergio Ibarra Bolanos of Delta Company, 2-162 Infantry Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, volunteered with three other Maneuver Battalion Soldiers to participate in the area beautification.

“It’s great to be in the community and help out,” Ibarra Bolanos said. “It’s great to see other people from Regional Command East and get perspective on what they do.”

Despite their unique missions and capabilities, KFOR RC-E Soldiers combine efforts with local institutions to support the communities in Kosovo.

“We’re in this together – KFOR, the municipality, the youth, the police and the fire department,” said Milam. “At the end of the day, we all want what’s best for the people in Kosovo and this area.”

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