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James Mason | all galleries >> Galleries >> The war in Central Bosnia > Home from the front line
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93 James Mason

Home from the front line

Central Bosnia

These young Bosnians were returning from putting in their time on the front line. I was in a small mountain town, but no longer remember the name. I had two unusual and telling experiences here. As we stood about in the center of the little village, a crowd of people who were obviously bored by the isolation of the war gathered. One older man glared furiously at me. Once he understood that I spoke the language, after observing me talking with some of the local people, he strode over and literally spat out: "Ja znam ko je kriv za ovaj rat!" (I know who caused this war!) I expected the usual theories about the CIA, or the KGB, or the Tri-Lateral Commission, but he pointed to the name tag on my Army surplus field jacket: MASON. "Masoni!" The Masons! Free Masonry has much to answer for, I'm sure. But I don't think they started the war. The second incident happened a moment later. A crazed-looking man ran about saying "I hear there's an American reporter here who speaks our language!" I motioned to him that it was me. He ran up and grabbed me roughly by the lapels. "You can settle an argument we've been having here in this town since we started getting food drops!" "OK, I'll try," I said. "There's a man here who's been to America and he says Tabasco Sauce comes in big bottles!" The food packets being dropped by the US forces included the tiny little Tabasco Sauce bottles which are included in meals ready to eat. You could tell which villages were getting the food drops because teenage girls wore earrings made from the bottles. I told the man "Yes, it does come in big bottles. If you own a restaurant you might buy a bottle this big!" I held up my hands to show the gallon jug size. The man whooped triumphantly and dashed off to settle his argument.


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KK 26-May-2016 19:22
This is Zeljezno Polje, Zepce Municipality, around 40 km north from Zenica.
James Mason07-Dec-2010 04:13
It was common for a soldier to not want his photo taken. If a man with a gun says "don't take my picture!" I don't take his picture....but it was more common that a soldier would ask me to take his picture.
Guest 06-Dec-2010 23:33
Did you ever in this crazy area try to made a picture of soldiers, of young kids with guns, and have problem with them, that they don't wish to be on a picture from war?
Emina 29-Dec-2008 22:11
yes u are right its Poculica...........
craig spencer 09-Apr-2008 14:16
James I think this picture was taken in a village called Poculica which is on the back road to Zenica from Vitez