The Gërdec Explosion The Day Everything Changed It was a Saturday, almost midday, in March 2008. I was home in Tirana and thinking about taking my children to the sea for a few hours. I was waiting in the coffee bar downstairs when suddenly the glasses on the tables shook. A shockwave exploded across the… Continue reading A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 8
Tag: EOD
A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 7
UXO Hotspots Clearance Program In 2000, the Swiss contributed in kind, in the form of a Technical Advisor named Franz Bear, to assist in the Demining Program. He worked with us for almost 10 years. In the end of the demining program I said to him, that’s it, we have finished, and he said to… Continue reading A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 7
A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 6
War Work and the Birth of Mine Action By 1999 the war in Kosovo was raging on our borders. Yugoslav forces were fighting the Kosovo Liberation Army across the border, villages were burning, and streams of families were fleeing into northern Albania with what they could carry. Our own border districts took heavy shelling, cluster… Continue reading A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 6
A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 5
A personal story from post-war Albania that shows how humanitarian mine action enables safety, development, and the possibility of home A Door Opens, a Home Begins In those years we lived like students with a family. One bedroom, a little corridor around a bed, a small window, a couch pushed to a corner, our son… Continue reading A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 5
A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 4
Learning to Disarm, Learning to Lead In 1998 the Ministry of Defense created a special unit to stop the chain of accidents and to start cleaning the mess of landmines. I moved from Hookas to Tirana and was asked to help set up the division. Under the Partnership for Peace alliance came teams from the… Continue reading A Short History: Humanitarian Mine Action Albania – Chapter 4
A Short History: HMA in Albania – Chapter 3
Accidents in the Field, and the start of a Fledgling Democracy As seen through the eyes of Arben Braha, Albania’s 1st EOD Tech & HMA Program Founder My wife, Rudina, and I met when we were very young. She grew up in a military family and she understood the life, the early calls, the long… Continue reading A Short History: HMA in Albania – Chapter 3
A Short History: HMA in Albania – Chapter 2
Military Academy and the Last Hanging As seen through the eyes of Arben Braha, Albania’s 1st EOD Tech, HMA Program Founder I entered the military academy in 1985. I chose the army because it felt like the only path that was open to me, and because I wanted to serve and to make some kind… Continue reading A Short History: HMA in Albania – Chapter 2
Golden West Humanitarian Foundation in the Marshall Islands
Golden West Humanitarian Foundation in the Marshall Islands September 26, 2025 The Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) has played a pivotal role in addressing the lingering dangers of World War II – era unexploded ordnance (UXO) across the Pacific, with a focused and impactful presence in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These remote atolls… Continue reading Golden West Humanitarian Foundation in the Marshall Islands
Golden West Humanitarian Foundation Operations in the Pacific
Golden West Humanitarian Foundation Operations in the Pacific July 15th, 2025 The Golden West Humanitarian Foundation has established deep roots across the Pacific Island nations. Our technical experts have worked throughout the region to remediate explosive remnants of war (ERW) from World War II. Golden West leads efforts to demonstrate United States support for its… Continue reading Golden West Humanitarian Foundation Operations in the Pacific