Christopher Gilbert BSc Eng ’97 is currently an engineer in one of the world’s hot spots supporting the U.S. military effort to keep peace.

He works for Brown and Root Services in Ferizaj, Kosovo [formerly Urosevac] designing and building base camps for the military.

"This is the largest base camp built for deployment of U.S. troops since Vietnam," he says. About 5,000-7,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the area. "The military is the only law right now. Kosovo plans on having an election in late 2000."

Gilbert’s four-year contract to work in Kosovo began in July, four days after his wedding.

His wife, who also works for Brown and Root, lives in Houston.

Every three months Gilbert gets a week off for a one-week European vacation. Once a year he gets three weeks back in the States. He earns it by working 12 hours a day, seven days a week. "There’s not much else to do here," he says. Americans must follow certain rules and bars are mostly off-limits. "There’s not much of a night life."

Life in Kosovo is difficult.

"Right now, conditions aren’t good," Gilbert says. "Usually we don’t have power or heat so a lot of people sleep in their offices at night." Generators keep U.S. facilities supplied with power. And sometimes hostilities still erupt. "When I first got here, there was lots of retaliation against Serbians [by local Albanians]. Twenty or 30 houses were burned every day. Now that it’s winter, it’s a lot better," he says, "but the other day, a 76-year-old Serbian man and his wife were beaten and killed."

Local reaction to the troops is positive, Gilbert says. "The locals have become pretty familiar with the troops." Gilbert and the other Americans in Kosovo work mostly with ethnic Albanians. "We’ve tried to hire Serbians but it hasn’t worked out well," he says. "They are too scared to come to work."

Brown and Root puts its employees up in local housing and they live off the local economy. In addition to building infrastructure, Brown and Root supplies the military with food, power, heat and other necessities.

"We’re here to serve the military," Gilbert explains, "so that all they have to do is keep the peace."

Mines Magazine, Winter 2000 Vol. 90, No. 1