Snow, Bud: my RCMP United Nations peacekeeping experience (March 12, 2019)
ABSTRACT: Bud Snow provided probably the longest and most detailed interview on account of his pleasantly informative tangents that revealed more than I had prepared for. He revealed how the American military proved to be great allies of the police and allowed them to use their facilities. Smaller details about his interactions with the local populace were even better such as his telling of how the UN police were guests at local weddings. Other information included 0:00-10:00 – Motives for joining police, Joining the UN mission, Preparing in Ottawa. 10:00 -20:00 – Working with foreign police officers, The “Adventure” for going overseas, UN buildup in Macedonia (staging area), role played by Snow. 20:00 – 30:00 – Division of Kosovo among different UN-affiliated countries, description of Camp Bonsteel (US Base), relationship of the police with the UN military, “naivety” of the officers deployed. 30:00 – 40:00 – Communications between different nationalities (English proficiency), dangers of locals working for the UN, ethnic makeup and tensions of assigned regions, murders committed by locals during the mission. 40:00-50:00 – History of hatred between ethnic groups in Kosovo, growth of local confidence and trust in the UN police compared to the military, threat of landmines, 50:00 – 1:00:00 – Danger to Albanians when travelling through Serb areas, US military attached to UN save the police when they came under fire. 1:00:00 – 1:10:00 – Working with non-Canadian UN officers, differences in conduct between different nationalities, police vs military relations with local people, assertion of the success of the mission by Mr. Snow. 1:10:10-1:20:00 – Shared hatred of the Roma by Albanians and Serbs, most violent locations to work in Kosovo, firepower of the Americans at Camp Bondsteel. 1:20:00 – 1:27:58 – Accessing alcohol on UN bases, local cuisine enjoyed by the UN police officers, Mr. Snow’s later career with the UN, conclusion. Suggested Clip(s) for Archive: 34:20 – 38:05 – Local tensions in the area including how it affected the safety of the UN’s interpreters
Interviewee: Snow, Bud
An interview/narrative of Bud Snow's experiences in the Balkans. Interview took place on March 12, 2019.
Interviewer: Russ, Peter
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 45.41117, -75.69812
- Original sound recordings (MP3) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- SB_880
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- March 12, 2019
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 256 kbps. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2019. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
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