Gov. Tim Pawlenty traveled secretly to Kosovo this weekend to meet with the more than 400 Minnesota National Guard troops stationed there.
While political tensions remain real in Kosovo, which in February declared its independence from Serbia, Minnesota's Guard members are doing an important job helping keep the peace, he said.
"The Minnesota National Guard is one of the highest performing Guards in the country," Pawlenty said during a conference call Saturday. "We're here to let them know Minnesotans are thinking of them."
The Minnesota troops stationed in Kosovo are from the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry, headquartered in Mankato. Deployed in October, they're part of the U.N. international peacekeeping force in the country.
Pawlenty, who also visited Kosovo in 2004, said "anecdotal evidence" shows slow but steady improvement in the lives of the people -- although there's still a long way to go. Unemployment, for example, has fallen from 80 to 60 percent, he said. And there is more commercial activity.
While underlying tensions between Albanians and Serbs appear to be in check, they still percolate below the surface, he said.
The governor made a whirlwind tour of the country over the weekend, visiting the Minnesota unit's base at Camp Bondsteel, in the town of Vitina, which the troops are responsible for patrolling, and several small towns. The day's activities ended with a dinner with the troops at Camp Bondsteel followed by a town meeting with soldiers. Pawlenty said he relies on such meetings to learn what's on their minds.
Troops wanted to know whether new laws could be passed to help their spouses deal with hardships at home, he said. They also wanted to know about calculations for disability insurance, college tuition reimbursement and fees, and how Guard equipment will be replaced in Kosovo and at home.
