I had the opportunity to visit Bosnia in December 1998 as a journalist representing the Runge Group.

Here are a few memories of Bosnia in pictures......I will be adding captions shortly, as this page is still under construction.

The pictures are a little dark, another item I hope to rectify shortly.

Into the pocket: This apartment building in Bihac still bears the scars of a mortar blast endured during seige of the Bihac Pocket. While the city still bears many scars, the area just south was virtually levelled by withering fire from enemy positions in the nearby hills.

Life in the ruins: This little girl hangs onto her prize possession in the ruins of the once beautiful and vibrant town of Bos Grovoso, near the Croatian border. Her family ekes out a spartan existence in a town with no industry, no tourists, no agriculture and little hope.

A new sign of life: Through the efforts of Canadian soldiers and the UN mission, this man has a new roof on his home. His neigbours have not returned, either killed or still fearful to return to an area where ethnic tensions still run high.

Bos G: This is no set for a nuclear holocost movie, it is the reality of Bos Grovoso, a picturesque town in west central Bosnia. Where 9,000 people lived, loved and worked, barely 800 still move through the pulverized ruins and wrecked buildings.

Life on the front line: This family of seven live in a small village near Vilika Kladusa, on a small farm which can not be farmed due to the presence of land mines. The entire family lives in a single room, the only decoration being a colourful advertising map from Dryden Ontario.

A liitle help: Canadian soldiers from Petawawa deliver a new stove without a hole in the side, some warm clothing for the children and shoeboxes containing a few gifts from children back in Canada. These small items may make the difference for this family as the harsh Bosnian winter begins.

Ethnic cleansing, the reality: A mass grave of Moslems just inside Republicia Serpseca, an area still contolled in large part by Serb militias and warlords. This is not a safe area even for SFOR troops, as the Dayton Accords maintain an uneasy peace in the region.

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