Jasper officer reports from Kosovo; people friendly, country beautiful, driving dangerous

Dakota Foote, a Jasper police officer, is stationed at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, as part of his service with the Indiana National Guard.

According to Foote, the most dangerous part of his duty thus far has been driving. “Most roads are similar to Highway 231 between Loogootee and Bloomington; very little space, windy roads, very busy,” he described. “However, the main difference here is that people have no fear when driving. They will pass without hesitation regardless of oncoming traffic or road condition; sometimes even on the shoulder.”

Foote is a First Lieutenant attached to Task Force Aviation which provides aviation assets to the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Ohio). Camp Bondsteel is considered the Southern Command Post of Kosovo and is located about three miles east of Ferizaj, one of the largest cities in the country. They are part of the Forward (Northern) Command Post located in Prishtina, the capital city. “We are part of the 22nd rotation of NATO forces here (KFOR 22), and we are called Task Force Raptor,” he said. “Our group consists of two companies from Shelbyville, a company from Georgia and a company from Texas.

Foote is the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Signal section. Signal consists of anything communications or electronics related (e.g. computers, radios, internet, phones, etc.)  “As the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the section, I conduct the planning, coordination with other sections, management, and execution of all Signal tasks,” he explained. “With every helicopter needing radio frequencies and communication security, and every soldier operating off of a computer utilizing secure military internet; you can imagine that I’d be quite busy.”

Surrounded by Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania, the country is about the size of the area inside the 465 loop of Indianapolis.

“The U.S. is here as a NATO asset, so we assist many other countries also working here (Turkey, Germany, Poland, Hungarian, Finland, Switzerland, Canada, Croatia, Czech, and more),” he wrote. “The culture here is also unique and interesting. Many locals love Americans and are genuinely happy that we are here. I have been able to visit local towns and meet people of all ages.”

To help build local relations with the different countries represented at Camp Bondsteel, the task force Foote is attached to has organized a weekly “Waffle House”.  Every Sunday from 8 to 11 a.m., members from the group make waffles for everyone on Camp Bondsteel.  “It is a great way to bond with people from all countries, to include the locals that join us.” Foote said. “All donations from the event go towards helping fund community outreach programs. We are involved in classes that teach English to high school students, women’s and children’s shelters, and putting on presentations for local schools.”

Prior to leaving for his nearly year long active duty rotation, Foote and his wife Kristie had their first child, Raleigh.