4 — Friday, January 8, 1999 — North Shore News WV reservist in Kevin McKinnon The Chicf CAPT. Fohn Maxon is a long way from home. The Canadian Forces reservist from West Vancouver is midway through a six-month tour in Bosnia. Maxon, a milfrary engineer with the 6th Field Engineers, is stationed at the Canadian camp in Coralici and atrached to an Engineering Specialist Troop in support of the 3rd Battalion of the — Royal Canadian Regiment. A 13-year veteran of the res s, Maxon joined up while attending UBC and completing his B.Sc. in mathe-. matics. The education he received through the military was quite different from what he fearned at UBC. “Whar we do is pretty unique,” said Maxon during a recent interview in Bosnia. “There aren’t many civilian universities that will show you how to build a bridge and then blow it up, in the dark, with people shooting at you. It’s something © certainly enjoy.” While at home in West Vancouver Maxon runs his own — business, Wolfpack Technical Services, through which he performs home inspections and general con- tracting services. ' The mission in Bosnia is primarily humanitarian in nature. The engineers sta- tioned there are finding more uses for their construction skills than their talents for ‘demolition. Maxon was involved in the construction of a bridge, built to allow the return of displaced Photo Kevin McKinnon/The Chiet CAPT. John Maxon of West Vancouver at the Canadian camp at Coralici, Bosnia. A common sight in Bosnia (photo right), signs are posted to warn of mine fields. persons, refugees and evacuees forced from their homes dur- ing the war. The engincers also help the RCR Battle Group overcome obstacles to movement. Because the former Yugoslavia is so heavily mined, the Canadian Forces will only allow their vehicles to travel on routes that have been deemed mine-free by the engineers. Maxon’s responsibilities include keeping the Authorized Route Trace up to date and accurate. In the months he has spent in Bosnia, Maxon has put more than 15,000 kilometres on his vehicle, Because com- munications are sometimes unreliable, face-to-face mect- ings are the only guarantee your message will get through. “People take it for granted that you had to drive three hours for their 15-minute meeting and three hours back again. It has been interesting to sec from one end of Gur area of responsibility to another, though. I’ve seen how bad it is, and how fast things are recovering.” The biggest threat to both soldiers and civilians in Bosnia is the 3 million to 5 million land mines that litter the coun- try. “If we find a mine or a UXO (unexploded ordnance) our guys will dispose of it only if it’s a threat to our troops.” Canadian troops are not actively de-mining areas that they don’t aced to, and it is the policy of the Canadian Forces nor to risk the lives of their troops unnecessarily. What the Canadians do offer is techniza! support and expertise. In the Canadian area of responsibility, Bosnian Army de-miners work under the supervision of Canadian engi- neers. Under the regulations laid out by the Dayton Peace Accord, the local armed forces must actively de-mine to receive training credits. If they don’t live up to their duties, they aren’: allowed to put troops in the field. The de-mining work is done che same way it has been for the last 50 years. De-miners prod every square inch of ground with a sharp probe, searching for anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. The protective gear they wear might save their lives if they were to wip a mine, but it's no guarantec. Each of the de-miners Photo Kevin McKinnon Ths Ghiet A Bosnian Muslim Army de-miner wears protective equipment. tn his hand is the metal probe used to search the ground for mines. clears about four square metres of ground a day. At this rate it is expected to take 130 years to completely de-mine the coun- try. Advances in de-mining technology allow for faster, safer de-mining, but explosive detectors and special de-min- ing vehicles are expensive, and the Bosnian government sint- ply can’t afford them. Maxon knows the value of the work done by the Canadians is high, and he is the sidewalk Sale 17, and you ce happy to be able to do the job he was trained for. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. The best thing is the sense of contribution to a world situation.” The situation in Bosnia is improving slowly, but steadily. And Canadian soldicrs like John Maxon play a large role in the rebuilding of that shat- tered nation. “There are a lor of challenges here, but there are a lot of good people,” ke