Briefly defined as “enforcing peace agreements between hostile groups,” from 1996 to 2003, 1 ID soldiers served with peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and Kosovo. The missions were neither simple nor safe. Peacekeeping tests a soldier’s training and discipline. Soldiers might guard checkpoints, confiscate weapons or resolve disputes. Above all, they must remain neutral—even in the most hostile environments—to avoid disrupting a fragile peace.

Yugoslavia’s breakup in the 1990s led to the Balkan Wars and the worst ethnic violence in Europe since World War II. Vicious fighting between religious and nationalist groups prompted international intervention.