One day in the Ground Safety Zone: Soldiers under arms and high risk 24 hours a day

In a village at an altitude of 950 meters, at the foot of Kopaonik, lies the military base Trmka. Our portal team explored a day on the administrative line towards Kosovo. Captain Milos Jankovic, the base commander, vividly described it for Kosovo Online: military bread is the hardest-earned bread. Nevertheless, he says that this calling is one of the most honorable and honest jobs in the state of Serbia.

To reach the Trmka base, which belongs to the 37th Mechanized Battalion within the composition of the Third Army Brigade, you cannot use a passenger vehicle. The ride in an off-road vehicle was the first encounter with military everyday life. The beautiful landscapes at an altitude of 950 meters are pleasing to the soldiers. However, they were not a sufficient argument for many locals. Only about ten people live in the entire area because harsh weather conditions have forced most to move to milder regions.

The "STOP" sign at the entrance to the base halts the uninvited. Behind the barbed wire, marksmen are in their positions. One of their regular tasks is the daily observation of the surroundings to control the administrative line and the Ground Safety Zone.

Regular patrols have their own rules. The raising of the flag of the Republic of Serbia under the command of the officer. After that, the commander, along with the selected team, sets out on reconnaissance under arms. A part of the team includes a Belgian Malinois shepherd named Nar. His place is at the beginning of the column, alongside the handler. The patrol team carries equipment weighing 25 kilograms, and the longest route they patrol is 17 kilometers one way. Although reconnaissance can be strenuous, Corporal Dusan Milenkovic told us that it was not a burden for them.

"I am currently a marksman at the First Rifle Platoon base. We daily secure the Ground Safety Zone, patrolling along the administrative line. Some tasks and patrols can be a bit demanding at times, but for us, it is not a problem, and it is not difficult because it is an honor to be a member of this unit," Milenkovic said.

During the patrol, in the distance, we saw the slopes of Sar Mountain covered in snow, which is 100 kilometers away from the Ground Safety Zone. The soldiers explained to us that it had been a rare opportunity to see them since the day had been sunny and clear.

The base commander, Captain Milos Jankovic, revealed to us the exact task of the soldiers on patrol, which sometimes lasts up to four or five hours. As he explained, they controled the administrative line, which was a strictly defined imaginary line.

"We ensure that mostly the Albanian population on the other side does not cross that line. The crossing is only allowed at certain places, at administrative crossings. Sometimes we take tactical actions and principles to make them consciously see us because when they spot us, they refrain from taking actions that could cause damage to private or state property, primarily referring to timber," the captain explained, emphasizing that if someone was found engaging in illegal activities, those individuals were further processed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The end of the patrol does not signify the end of tasks. Corporal Aleksandar Stankovic, the dog handler, takes care of the official dogs and he emphasized that the dogs were very obedient and well-trained. They play a crucial role in alerting soldiers to any danger.

"My task is to condition the official dogs daily, to regularly feed and hydrate them. Otherwise, the official dog is an integral part of the patrol and a very important member for carrying out tasks in the Ground Safety Zone," Stankovic said.

Soldiers and officers at the base are armed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether they are engaged in observation or on patrol. They are also separated from their families for weeks, as that is usually the duration of a shift. Commander Jankovic told us how important it was to separate private life from professional duties in military service.

"All the problems we have at home must stay at home. Especially us officers, we need to separate private and professional aspects to collaborate more smoothly with people," Jankovic said.

He emphasized that, despite this, the military calling was one of the most honorable.

"We secure the Ground Safety Zone by sending patrols to areas that can be crossed by observation posts or ambushes, as well as activities planned with the international KFOR forces deployed in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Executing these tasks is by no means easy and requires significant mental and physical exertion from the entire unit. However, soldiers, together with their officers and commanders, perform these tasks in an extremely professional and efficient manner, which is crucial. I often like to say that if mining bread is the heardest-earned bread, military bread is even heardest. Nevertheless, this calling is one of the most honorable and honest jobs in this country. That's precisely why the Serbian Armed Forces enjoy great respect and esteem from all citizens of the Republic of Serbia," Jankovic said.

"I would like to take this opportunity to invite all interested young men and women to join and become members of the professional ranks of the Serbian Armed Forces," Commander Jankovic said for Kosovo Online.

As an additional argument, he added that in the last ten years, the Serbian Armed Forces had been equipped with the most modern and sophisticated weapons, equipment, and gear, and in recent years, salaries had been significantly increased.

Life and service away from home and family, as we understand, are among the challenges that soldiers are prepared for during their training. Here at the military base, we have seen that life is organized according to the circumstances and the purpose they serve.