Serbian Head Games

And when I lost radio communication I said, well you know. And my warrant officer told me "You will, you will lose communication for periods of times," right. And the young guy that was with me there, Mohamed he said "What do we do? What happens if they over run us and take our vehicle?" I said, "Well if I get stopped and we're held at gun point, we give them the vehicle". I mean what's, what's the latter to, we don't give it to them and they you know shoot at us. Or we just give them the vehicle and we'll walk back or whatever you know. We never come across that but it happens, soldiers would lose their vehicles. Because over there, there was so many sanctions in, in a, in Serbia. I was in, what they called RSK (Republic Serbia Kyrenia) it was something that they named. So over there, they had so many sanctions eh They were in the heart of Yugoslavia, they weren't by the water, waterways so they couldn't get anything in, and everything was cut off. So, soldiers were walking for miles. We'd drive down the road and nothing to see soldiers walking everywhere and you couldn't pick them up. I mean, some of these soldiers were kids. Like I seen kids like, no more than 12 years old and in clothes that didn't even fit them and a rifle hung over their back and they're down in the city right? And you look at it and say its just a shame, like a young boy they had him all you know... And you'd be driving out there and you'd be driving by and there'd be people with rifles. I mean that was the same as you going up, you know going down to the super market and seeing people walking around. It was just a normal thing you know, to see someone with a rifle. Everybody packed a rifle, ok. Sometimes you would drive by and they would kind of point you know at the vehicle. That was, when you go to the city, that was a little nerve racking but it was a kind of a head set mind for them. Because, like again when they see the UN coming they didn't want us there. So they would try to make it uncomfortable for you, you know. So that was a little bit getting used to, you know seeing a machine or a gun or a rifle or what ever they had. I don't know, I think it was a C-9 they called it, but they would point it towards kinda at the ground towards the vehicle you know kinda thing right, just kinda... And you know after a while you kinda got used to that because you know they were going to do it; "I wonder who's gonna point at me today or whatever. Those were the things that you had to adapt to, know what I mean.And say "If they're gonna fire upon me", if they wanted to fire upon that vehicle they could. I mean we had no authority who could pack a rifle and who couldn't. I mean we had Serbian soldiers right in the city you know. Lots of times they'd be drinking, you know what I'm saying? And at that point you say "well if it happens, it happens" you know. And you say "If we come under well fire you react". I mean you have to react. It never happened to us or to anyone that was there. But it was those head games you know?

Mr. Campbell explains about how the Serbian soldiers would always point their guns at the peace officers but would never shoot. He explains how you got used to it and knew exactly how to react.

Perry Campbell

Mr. Campbell was born on August 19, 1963, in Goose Bay, Labrador. After moving to a fishing village in Newfoundland at the age of 13, Mr. Campbell tried to make it as a fisherman but unfortunately suffered from sea sickness and went back to Labrador. One day he saw a Canadian Forces ad that stated, "No life like it." Captivated by this, Mr. Campbell applied and within four months he began travelling across Canada for his basic training. After three years as an infantryman, Mr. Campbell decided to become a military police officer. As a military police officer Mr. Campbell was always in the face of danger, but none so great as when he was called upon for duty in the former Yugoslavia with the UN Peacekeeping unit in the early 1990s. Here he was a master corporal, heading up the main investigative body for all armies, managing his own shift, and being responsible for the Jordanian Armies. Mr. Campbell spent nine years as a military police officer, and if called upon today for service would not hesitate to answer the call of duty for his country and undying dedication to the Canadian Forces. Mr. Campbell has spent the last ten years in Yellowknife with his wife and children.