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St. Olaf employee, National Guardsman called to serve in Kosovo

By Carole Engblom
September 30, 2003

St. Olaf staff member Kevin Larson, who has served in the Minnesota National Guard for nearly 30 years, will leave for active duty in Kosovo on Oct. 10. Larson, an engineer officer and a colonel, will act as deputy commander of civil affairs, reporting directly to Brigadier General Ricky D. Erlandson, the Commanding General for Task Force Falcon (KFOR) in Kosovo, and Commander of Multi-National Brigade East (MNB-E) in Kosovo, which includes United States military forces as well as military forces from Greece, Poland and the Ukraine.

kevin larson
Staff member Kevin Larson leaves for Kosovo Oct. 10.
Although Kosovo isn?t CNN headline news, its stability is fragile, and it remains an international hot spot. "This is the first time that I?ve been activated for any crisis outside the United States," says Larson. "There are a large number of reservists being activated right now. There are high demands placed on our military forces, more than it can handle. Therefore, they?re calling on the reservists to augment the number of forces needed for different types of missions ? military police, intelligence, civil affairs, nation building."

The United States military, responsible for one-fourth of Kosovo, is part of an international military presence in Kosovo known as KFOR and includes 28 nations, Larson explains. Some of these countries belong to NATO; some do not belong. In addition to thousands of Kosovo Force troops that help maintain the peace in Kosovo, the United Nations provides a police force, and Kosovo is developing a police force -- the latter representing all the different ethnic groups in the area and, as time goes on, becoming larger and taking on more responsibilities of a regular police force.

"Our primary mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for the people of Kosovo," says Larson. "A big part of the average soldier?s job is to mix with the people. We will go out as eight-person squads, using interpreters to communicate. It?s not easy. The United Nations has established a provincial government, and we work with them to provide military support for that acting government as it hands over its responsibilities to the people of Kosovo."

Larson, a maintenance mechanic with St. Olaf facilities for the past 12 years, is looking forward to his tour of duty in Kosovo. But he concedes that he is "not real happy" about leaving his wife, Lori, and their two children: Christina, 16, and Kory, 12. Larson will spend two months in Fort Stewart, Ga., before going to Kosovo. He will be away for at least a year.

Contact Carole Engblom at 646-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.