Let U.S. Soldiers Be Peacekeeping Protectors, Not Aerobicized Moviegoers : Bosnia: Fearing political damage, the administration is keeping troops on their bases.

I like to get the most bang for my buck. So I’m unhappy about what is going on with the 20,000 U.S. troops now stationed in Bosnia and the estimated $2 billion it is costing us. They are not doing anything except making sure that none of them has even the tiniest accident before Bill Clinton’s reelection date rolls around in November.

The mission in Bosnia is troop self-protection. The bases are virtual large playpens. Troops are never allowed off base unless they are in four-tank convoys. Those convoys are only used for narrow patrol purposes. The soldiers never see Tuzla or Sarajevo, never get to eat a meal in a restaurant. As they walk around the base, they wear full-battle regalia, which means helmets and rifles slung over their shoulders as they stand in line for the mess hall. Having eaten one of the three hot meal choices with lots of desserts, the soldiers pass by bulletin boards informing them of all the aerobics classes and first-run films available to fill their time.

And yet there is so much real work for our troops to do in Bosnia. They could be training local people on the bases in land mine removal, reducing the danger from the horrific accidents that happen every day, often with children as the victims. They could be escorting people back to their villages so they can make up their minds without fear about whether they will return. They could be using our construction equipment for road-building and repairs in the villages that most need it. They could show local people how to reconstruct some of the damage. They could be standing guard at sites where war crimes were committed, instead of leaving them to be ransacked by the perpetrators.

And there is the matter of indicted war criminals who roam freely, intimidating and unpunished. I was escorted around our Tuzla base by the major in charge of the “lessons learned unit.” He explained the diminution of military tasks as a result of the Somalia experience. But is that what Americans want when we send our military abroad? To keep them wrapped up and sealed in plastic so they won’t scratch a finger? I don’t think so. And neither do some American diplomats assigned to the region. Under the terms of the Dayton peace accord, U.S. and other peacekeeping troops could be doing much more to ensure freedom of movement, the right to return and the right to remain. But they are not.

Soon Bosnia will be off our interest scope. But we are there now. Our soldiers have goodwill, time and talent. The first part of what they were sent there to do has happened. The heavy weapons have been pulled back, the Bosnian and Serb soldiers have been demobilized and the sides have been separated by a four-kilometer zone. Now the next steps should begin.

If the rest of the promises in the Dayton peace accord, for which we can rightly feel pride of leadership, are to be successful, then it is time to cut off the movies and give the troops real work.