Photo By Col. Charles Kohler | 2nd Lt. Dijana Dangubic with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina is ready for...... read more read more
In late December, the first female officer from Bosnia and Herzegovina graduated from the U.S. Army's Armor Basic Officer Leader Course. 2nd Lt. Dijana Dangubic, from Konjic, was joined by Maj. Gen. Linda Singh, the adjutant general of Maryland, at the historic graduation ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia.
“I am from a little country, we are the size of West Va. and to come here and have an opportunity to work with this cadre and leaders,” said Dangubic. “It’s a huge deal for me, just to be here. When I came here I was like a sponge, I was just soaking it all in. I can’t wait to go home, and share what I have learned with my soldiers.”
The Maryland National Guard has established a mentorship program to support all of their State Partnership Program, members attending U.S military schools. Capt. Jason Yankee from Maryland was also at the graduation ceremony in a show of support for Danubic as her mentor. This year Maryland is celebrating their 15 year partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the National Guard SPP. Together the two counties have had more than 29 formal events this past year.
The class of 75 Second Lieutenants from the U.S. and five other foreign national students from Lebanon and Greece also walked across the stage. It was a proud moment for the students completing the demanding course. They have demonstrated that they can lead an Armor platoon in combat.
“We spent 60 days in the field,” said Dangubic. “It was a beautiful to understand how you can work together with people who are not from your country to perform as a tank crew. We had a guy from Lebanon and an American and a Bosnian all working together.”
Dangubic had to overcome the language barrier and learn all the U.S. Army acronyms.
“We had to learn every task and get a go,” said Dangubic. “We all started as mechanics on the tank. Then you would become the driver of the tank, once you passed as all the driver tasks you were gunners, and after that loader, and then become the tank leader. As the platoon leader you plan missions in offence and defense. Every weekend we had a test, it was really intensive.”
She talked about how they would start their day with a 5 mile run at 4 in the morning. She said that they didn’t get any breaks and she had to learn new tactics and different equipment. She was thankful that everyone was very helpful. She talked about how one of the cadre stayed an extra three hours to help her.
“I learned more than tactics, it was more about goals in life,” said Danubic. “I want to make a difference. It has been amazing, it has really opened my eyes.”
Dangubic was telling Maj. Gen. Singh how she wants to make a difference in her country and how they have everything they need. Singh, in offering advice, referenced a famous quote, “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped in water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”
“I see a very bright future for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Singh. “I look at them in the future being a part of NATO and I am going to continue to focus on supporting them in any way that I can help with their success.”
| Date Taken: | 01.02.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.04.2019 07:52 |
| Story ID: | 306093 |
| Location: | FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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