Local fund-raiser seeks to dig up overseas killers
(Published Monday, March 19, 2007 11:14:59 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Frank Schultz Gazette staff
Denny Teichow got off the bus each day near a patch of trees. Next to the woods was a red sign with a skull and crossbones, a common sight in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The sign warned of mines in the woods. The killing devices are left over from the war that ravaged the area in the 1990s.
Teichow and his wife, Sandra, live in Lake Geneva, but they recently spent about six months teaching at an international school in the Balkan country.
The Americans found the people in the city of Sarajevo warm and hospitable. Many seem to have gotten on with their lives, despite the suffering and privations of the war.
They also found that landmines are a part of daily life, even though the war has been over for a decade.
Denny Teichow
Sandra Teichow
Schools have mine-awareness programs. A British officer came to their school to teach mine safety. One tip: If you're out in the woods, and your companion is blown up, don't move. You could trip another mine. With any luck, you'll have a cell phone with you, or people will notice you're missing and come looking for you.
That's the harsh reality in many parts of the globe. Long after wars are over, people are maimed or killed by leftover mines and other military ordinance. They're called ERWs, Explosive Remnants of War
According to the Adopt-a-Minefield program at www.landmines.org, landmines hinder post-war rebuilding efforts. Bosnian refugees are afraid to return home; people are hesitant to rebuild, and children are not allowed to play outside.
Adopt-a-Minefield says mines maim or kill 15,000 to 20,000 civilians every year worldwide. A landmine is said to cost as little as $3 to produce but as much as $1,000 to remove.
The South Central Wisconsin United Nations Association is planning an evening of food and fund-raising in Janesville on Sunday, April 1, to help Bosnia eliminate its landmines. The Teichows are glad to be a part of the effort.
Sandra told of going on a ski trip with students into the scenic mountains near Sarajevo. The children suggested they count the landmine signs to pass the time. They counted 192, and that was just on one curvy, mountain road.
Armies often keep records of where they put their landmines, so those areas are well known, even though the money to remove the mines isn't always available, Denny said.
"They have minefields on the waiting list because of lack of resources," he said.
But in the Bosnian war, individuals obtained landmines and placed them around their homes. Sometimes, those people left the area or went missing during the war, and afterward, no one had any idea the mines were there.
So injuries and deaths from landmines continue, even though children are taught never to wander into areas they don't know.
Landmine explosions were not everyday occurrences in Sarajevo, but people are maimed and killed on occasion, the Teichows said.
Also on Denny's bus each day were workers headed for the nearby Volkswagen plant. The workers trooped right past the warning sign, taking a shortcut through the woods to the factory. Denny took the long way around to get to school.
But after about a month, Denny decided it must be safe. He took the path for weeks.
Then one morning, he got off the bus to find the woods roped off with yellow warning tape. When he got to school, he asked.
Oh, hadn't he heard? Someone wandered off the path and stepped on a mine. He died.
If you go What: The South Central Wisconsin United Nations Association will host Bosnian Dinner, featuring food from Bosnia-Herzegovina. The menu will include authentic Bosnian food, some recipes contributed by natives of the region.
When: 5 p.m. Sunday, April 1, at the Eagle Inn, 1809 Center Ave., Janesville.
Why: The dinner will be one of thousands taking place around the world between March 1 and April 4 as part of the "Night of a Thousand Dinners," a project coordinated by the United Nations Association of the United States and the Canadian Landmine Foundation. Local money will go to help Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Cost: $10 covers dinner. The Eagle Inn will contribute $1 per dinner, and attendees also will be asked to contribute to landmine-clearing efforts.
Reservations: To get a reservation form, call (608) 754-7503, or e-mail Mirabel Demming at mirabeld@sbcglobal.net.
Can't attend? Contributions may be sent to Gloria Ziegler, 440 S. Blackhawk St., Janesville, WI 53545. Make out the check to Central WI UNA. List "Adopt-A-Minefield" on the memo line. Credit-card users may donate via Internet. Go to www.unausa.org and click the button labeled "Informs" and then "landmine clearance."
