The visit to Pazar was arraigned by Sergeant First Class Steven Staton of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who works in the G2 section of the Task Force Eagle Headquarters.  Sergeant Staton originally planned to just teach the Bosnian students about his favorite hobby, Philately (stamp collecting).  Staton, who teaches stamp collecting back home to the local Boy Scouts, wanted to share his experiences with the children at the school. During a meeting with Emin Sisic, the director of Pazar, Sisic asked Sergeant Staton if more soldiers could visit the children at the school.  Staton was able to get approval for the visit and coordinated the transportation and found soldiers to take part in the visit.  What started as a stamp collecting class has grown into a program soldiers and Tuzla school children alike are very happy to be a part of.

        Pazar is a Turkish word for market.  The school is named after the market in the center of Tuzla.  Over 600 students who live in Tuzla are enrolled at the school.  Many of the students are orphans whose parents were killed during the Bosnian Civil War.  Sisic said most of the orphans were taken in by relatives who live in the Tuzla area. 

     Although ethnic differences plagued Bosnia during its civil war, you will not see them at Pazar.  There are Serbs, Croats and Muslims on the school's faculty and the students come from numerous ethnic groups.  Serb, Muslims, Croats, Gypsies and Jewish children all attend the school.  The children seem far more concerned about learning and playing together than ethnic differences.  Pazar has a  psychologist on staff to provide counseling for children who have had difficulty adjusting to life after the war.
   

     The school is dealing with several problems as a result of the war.  One of those problems has to do with the curriculum.  When asked about whether the students learn foreign languages the disappointment in Sisic's face was clear.  Many of the Slavic language teachers were killed during the war or no longer live in Tuzla.  English is normally the second language taught at Pazar, however, there are not enough qualified instructors available to teach English at Pazar.  Ironically, the Stabilization Force (SFOR) hired most of the qualified English teachers in the area to work as interpreters.  Despite the shortfall, Sisic is optimistic about his school's efforts to teach foreign languages.  He is especially excited about the US soldiers visiting Pazar and hopes the students learn about the Americans.

    The soldiers, who have very few opportunities to meet Bosnians from day to day, spoke only a few words of Serbo-Croatian and most of the children know very little English.  Despite the language barrier both students and soldiers had a wonderful time.  One thing Bosnians and Americans both seem to have in common is basketball.  So the seventh and eight grade students played a basketball game with US soldiers after the morning classroom visits. 
        The pace of the game was furious with both teams running up and down the court a bit faster than they had anticipated.  Hundreds of school children crowded into the narrow gymnasium to watch the game.  The crowd was obviously rooting for both teams as school children cheered every time a great pass was made or what looked like an impossible shot fell into the basket.  The Americans opened a large lead in the first half.  However, the Bosnian students closed the gap in the second half as youth caught up with age.  After the game, one of the referees invited the soldiers to another school in Tuzla to play basketball with her students.  Handshakes were exchanged and photographs taken after the conclusion of the game.  Both soldiers and students are looking forward to the next time they play each other. 

 
    Specialist Amanda Paul from Grand Rapids, Minnesota enjoyed the visit to Pazar.  When asked what surprised her the most during her visit to Pazar, Specialist Paul said she was "surprised at how the children have picked up and continued life despite the tragedy of the civil war."  This was her first trip to Tuzla and Paul remarked at how quickly the countryside changed from a rural landscape to modern apartment high rises.   Paul also said she was glad she went to visit the children and would encourage other soldiers to go if they have the opportunity.

    Sergeant Staton plans to organize more visits to the school in the coming weeks.  His goal is to help the Bosnian students understand America and Americans through US soldiers.  Future events will include Staton's stamp collecting class, more basketball, and student - soldier forums to learn about each others culture.   Sergeant Staton's goal is for the program to make a positive impression on the children and soldier's lives.  Judging from Director Sisic's beaming smile and heartfelt thanks, the program is already fulfilling his goals.