Sergeant Major Sheila Venson-Ruane news

Sheila with Ruth Pointer of Pointer sisters Sheila with LTC Lindseth of Norway in front of her office Sheila in front of CIMIC Center - her office in Bosnia
At work Caught at work in Bosnia - by the candid camera! Ruins of an Ottoman castle

 
Send E-mail to Sheila:  vensonsgm@hotmail.com

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  • Retired
  • The latest
  • The gathering with others that served
  • The European Vacation
  • Where she was
  • What she did

    • Retirement orders Approved for 30 April!

    In her last assignment SGM Venson has been assigned to work with demobilizing troops at Fort Bragg. With over 26 years of service, Sheila is looking forward to retirement on completion of this assignment and a long deserved break.


    Retirement in sight! As of January 2004

    The "Stop Loss" was lifted. Sheila's retirement paperwork was submitted for approval. She continues to support Family Readiness activities. Sheila with Dennis at Family Readiness meeting


    In Norway! June 2001

    A trip to see the midnight sun and visit with Norwegian soldiers and sailors.

    Her introduction to Norway started with a trip to the Akershus Fortress, a castle in Oslo dating back to the 1300's. Oslo is a beautiful capital city well served by public transportation. This is the home of the Kon-Tiki museum with astounding evidence of people crossing thousands of miles of open ocean centuries before it was thought possible. Traveling on to Bergen by train took her over glacier covered mountains in the Telemark. Bergen is a walkable city focused on a gorgeous harbor. Fresh seafood is the order of the day here. Next on the bus to Haugsdal, a sun filled valley surrounded by mountains. We were welcomed by Oddvar Haugsdal, a Norwegian soldier who served with Sheila in Bosnia. Ingeborg, his wife, prepared delicious baked salmon and a tour of the country side. This included an up close visit with Capercaillie, birds that demonstrate a strong herding behaviour. A few minutes walk from his home brought us to a fjord providing access to the open sea. A few miles away in Matre we found the Bjorn West museum and learned of the Norwegian resistance during World War II. Next on the itinerary was Trondheim and The Nidaros Cathedral, Scandinavia's largest medieval building (the oldest still existing parts can be dated back to around 1140) and a view of the . Now it was time to get on the coastal steamer for a trip 200 miles past the arctic circle to Harstad and a visit with Borge Larsen, a Norwegian Navy veteran, who served with Sheila in Bosnia. Borge welcomed us to his home a short walk from the historic Trondenes Church which dates back to the 13th Century. He shared with us the traditional Midsummer's Eve bonfire accompanied by traditional cuisine. His wife, Ninni, shared such delights as cloudberries, whale steaks, and cod tongues. Despite being 200 miles north of the arctic circle, there were flowers and green in abundance. We were comfortable in short sleeve shirts as we visited this delightful city of the North. Then it was time to return to Oslo ... we started by bus, then ferry across the fjord, then overnight train where we enjoyed a sleeping compartment. In the morning, we awoke and found we needed to board yet another train to complete our journey to Oslo. Our early flight required that we catch a bus at 4:00 in the morning. In this land of the midnight sun, it was still light out!


    Here's the latest: November 1999 - Home at last!

    In September she flew to Ramstein Germany to tour Europe with her husband. After spending the night in the "Distinguished Visitor's Quarters" she rode to Bad Durkheim to attend the wine festival. From there she went to Trier, the "Rome of the North" and toured historical sites dating back to the time of Christ. Next up was a drive along the Mosel River where she visited Trittenheim for a Wein Probe at a place operated by a former POW who had been captured in WW2 and been confined in the US. Next up was a visit to Piesport for another Wein Probe and an al fresco lunch overlooking the noted Piesporter Goldtropchen vineyards. From there she continued through Luxembourg and into Belgium, where she stayed first in Dinant. The following day included a visit to the Abbey at Floreffe and ended at Ieper, where she stayed for several days at a hotel overlooking the town square. While using Ieper as a base, she attended several activities at the "Hop and Beer Festival" at Poperinge, and toured the countryside seeing hops under cultivation. She also visited the Saint Sixtus Abbey at Westvleteren where her husband purchased some of the rare Abt beer. Next up was a day in downtown Brugge, where she enjoyed a boat tour through the canals and enjoyed dining at a restaurant that prepares meals using Belgian beers. Next was a tour through the countryside of southern Holland and a look at windmills. From there it was on to France. The first stop was at Reims including visits to cathedrals and Champagne cellars for tastings. The second stop was at Epernay where she stayed a couple of days at a hotel overlooking the city center. Epernay is the heart of Champagne and she toured and tasted at Perrier-Jouet, Mercier, Gratien, Moet and Chandon, and Castellane. From Epernay it was on to Strasbourg, home of the European Parliament and the scenic Petite France. Next: the Alsatian Wine Route. She spent several days driving through the villages and vineyards with occasional stops to taste and purchase wonderful white wines and sample such regional favorites as choucroute and baeckhoffe. Next was a drive through the mountains on the Crete de Vosges route, which offered wonderful views of the valleys below. After a last night at Thann, France, it was back to Ramstein for a final taste of Popeye's spicy chicken and a movie (accompanied by Perrier-Jouet Blason de France Champagne).


    Where she was: Bosnia-Herzogovina is located in Eastern Europe and shares borders with Hungary, Yugoslavia, etc. Camp Eagle Base is located within the "Multi-National Division North" sector and is sited near the city of Tuzla.

    What she did: She worked as part of a multi-national force involved in peace keeping and humanitarian activities. The name CIMIC is short for CIvilian MI litary Cooperation. She worked with a mix of soldiers from other NATO countries, including soldiers from Denmark, Finland, Romania, Poland, France, and Norway [her current boss is a Norwegian Officer]. Sheila broke a couple of toes recently but has recovered enough to get back into her Army boots.

    Here is a recent story describing her activities
    "SGM Sheila Venson (HHC, 354th CA BDE) served as the Civil Affairs Operations Sergeant Major at Eagle Base in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina with the international military peacekeeping force for much of 1999. This peacekeeping force is supporting implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords (the international agreement which led to the cessation of hostilities in Bosnia). SGM Venson will be returning in late fall from her overseas duties.

    On a daily basis, SGM Venson organizes and runs the Civil Military Operations (CIMIC) Center on Eagle Base. This entails coordination of Civil Affairs activities with the higher Division level and lower headquarters and battalion levels, to ensure accomplishment of Civil Military Operations. The CIMIC Center has 42 people, and several different sections that handle Displaced Persons (DPRE)'s, Projects, Economic and Small Business, Demining, Government and Infrastructure activities. It also has a team of 5 interpreters. It is an international organization and has members from 13 different countries. The CIMIC Center is the action portion of the CIMIC battalion that has a total of 106 personnel that include teams out in other camps. The CIMIC Center works with the elements of international political, military, and legal framework entities to bring an end to conflict in the former Yugoslavian Republic.

    SGM Venson states that one of her biggest accomplishments is the coordination and organization of the different sections that include US and Allies that may be from former warring nations to work together towards a common goal. SGM was also instrumental in the successful move of the CIMIC battalion from cramped conditions in the "White house" headquarters building into one large, newly refurbished facility. She says that she and her team were able to, "create something out of nothing" and continue to be successful in all missions given to the team to complete.

    The most enjoyable part of her experience is working with the different international cultures as a team to implement the Dayton Accord Peace Agreement. SGM Venson felt they were able to work together to overcome the hostile parties in the country.

    SGM Sheila Venson feels that her service has been a tremendous educational and professional experience. In addition this was a great opportunity to apply her civilian job skills in a major international operation.

    This deployment provides invaluable training and professional education for Sheila Venson that will greatly benefit both the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army."


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