February 2000

In His Namesake's Footprints [page 5]

Behind the mother of all binoculars, Capt Keith Lawrence surveys the real estate between the Israeli and Syrian positions. Beside him is Capt Mike Weninger from Austria. (Photo: WO Larry Graham, DGPA)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Peace in the mid-east remains an elusive commodity at both ends of this century. RCMI member and Operations Officer with The Royal Regiment of Canada, Capt Keith Lawrence, can attest to that fact. For a year he served as a United Nations military observer on the Golan Heights as part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) formed in June 1948. Like another uniformed Lawrence who preceded him, Keith Lawrence was trying to make a meaningful difference. He was one of 152 unarmed officers from 22 countries based on both sides of the Syrian Israeli border. Keith was one of 11 Canadian officers, the only Reservist, that made-up an international 35-person team headquartered in Damascus, Syria. The organisation known as Observer Group Golan-Damascus (OGG-D) was responsible for the continuous staffing of five observation posts that overlook the Area of Separation (AOS) that runs from the Lebanese border, south to the border with Jordan. They were responsible for patrolling 2,400sq km of territory to ensure that troop and equipment agreements close to the AOS were maintained. From October 1998 until his redeployment back to Canada in August 1999 he was Team Commander of Citadel, operating in the northern mountainous section of the Golan Heights and responsible for Observation Posts 71 & 72 as well as 800sq km of Syrian territory.

The UNTSO was the first time that the United Nations had utilised and positioned unarmed military observers between belligerent forces. The deployment took place because of Arab and Israeli hostilities after Israel declared statehood. Unlike later UN Peacekeeping missions whose mandates are renewed every six months, UNTSO was open-ended. UNTSO was to, "Remain in force until a peaceful settlement between the parties is achieved". To date this mandate has weathered the 1956 Sinia Crisis, the 1967 Six Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the 1978 war in South Lebanon. To date UN 38 soldiers have been died on duty serving with UNTSO, 24 while under fire. Hopefully the 21^st century, and the current on-again, off-again dialogue sponsored by the United States government, will lead to peace in a part of the world were two Lawrences have served. This was not the first time that Keith Lawrence has served overseas, in 1989 as member of 1^st Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, he served in Cyprus.

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