Paulo Gonçalves

Abstract art in flight plans

Back in 1992, during my UN mission in Angola to support the Country first free elections, I had to manage a small fleet of aircraft operating from Luena’s airfield in the Province of Moxico. It was a busy and challenging activity, with lots of constrains and a myriad of solution to overtake the difficulties. OneContinuar lendo “Abstract art in flight plans”

BAP 2007

NATO Mission in Lithuania 2007, to protect the three Baltic States’ air space. Baltic Air Policing. The guys were starting to fell homesick

Sarajevo’s old church

There is an Orthodox Christian Temple in town, they said it was the oldest Orthodox Temple in that region of the Balkans, and it was just one kilometer away from the UN Military Observers (UNMO) rented house, close to the historical part of Sarajevo. It was a small temple, but it had the most interestingContinuar lendo “Sarajevo’s old church”

Deep inside Afghanistan

When one travels well inside Afghanistan’s landscape, on the Central Highlands of the Indukush, one may still encounter remains of the old Silk road. Fortresses constructed to host and protect the passing-by caravans. That is the beauty of the UN mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA); respecting the conflict restrictions but, simultaneously, profiting from every opportunity toContinuar lendo “Deep inside Afghanistan”

Guerra e Paz conforme as eleições Norte Americanas

Surgiram esta semana vários comunicados informando que os Estados Unidos teriam encetado conversações com a liderança Taliban para o fim do conflito no Afeganistão. Não deverá ser novidade para ninguém, uma vez que estamos (2020) em ano de eleição Presidencial nos Estados Unidos. Efectivamente, a resolução de problemas além-fronteiras tem sido (e ainda bem queContinuar lendo “Guerra e Paz conforme as eleições Norte Americanas”

“Tolerate” means “Suffer in Silence”

Being a peacekeeper, especially if one is an UNMO (UN Military Observer) the mantra is: – “Tolerance”; even if most of the time things have bitter taste. Back in 1992-1995, in UNPROFOR (Bosnia), the peacekeepers had tolerated just about everything and everybody on the literal sense. The verb “Tolerate”, in its original Latin form –Continuar lendo ““Tolerate” means “Suffer in Silence””

Ask first; piss after

Back in 1992, during my first UN mission for UNDP, in Angola, I was tasked to manage the UN aircraft fleet deployed at the largest province of the country – Moxico – whose capital was the City of Luena (former Luso, during the Portuguese times). We flow to Luena in a small twin engine KingContinuar lendo “Ask first; piss after”

Peacekeeping for kids

Peace; is a treasure hidden deep inside everyone of us. Each one of us can dig it up and solve conflicts at their start. In most conflict cases, there’s a need for a discussion forum; a place where people meet and exchange points of view in order to solve their problems. That place is (shouldContinuar lendo “Peacekeeping for kids”

Aguardente expresso

Durante as missões da ONU acontecem inúmeras situações anedóticas dignas de registo. Recordo uma certa manhã, na missão da ONU em Angola (1992) para apoiar com meios aéreos as Primeiras Eleições Livres, após as aeronaves terem partido como um bando de pássaros do aeródromo de Luena, ter-me sentado para descansar e ligar o leitor deContinuar lendo “Aguardente expresso”

Turn the barrel don’t move the weapon

In the UNPROFOR mission, back in 1995, there were lots of tales of war gags in Sarajevo that were too funny to be true. However, people swore they were true stories and I registered several of them. One of such stories occurred among the recently created Muslim Army (ABiH) ranks, at the start of theContinuar lendo “Turn the barrel don’t move the weapon”