Description

UNPROFOR PX Ration Card:

Once the United Nations Protective Force (UNPROFOR) established a base at the Sarajevo Airport, they found it necessary to create and stock a post exchange (PX). It was filled with items useful for troops serving in the U.N. forces around Sarajevo. The stock included items like flashlights, batteries, uniforms, tools, miscellaneous mission souvenirs, as well as food and drinks. The privilege of shopping at the exchange was open to U.N. personnel and extended to journalist with U.N. accreditation. The cad in the collection was my personal card.

UNHCR Sarajevo Airlift Patch 1994:

From July 3, 1992 to January 9, 1996, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) administered the longest-running humanitarian air-bridge in history.

The airlift operation to Sarajevo included 20 participating nations and provided 160,677 tons of aid. Relief items included food, medicine, equipment and other supplies. It delivered more than 85 percent of all aid reaching the city.The operation also helped with the medical evacuations of more than 1,100 patients from Bosnia and Herzegovina and carried thousands of journalists into the city.

Aircraft participating in the airlift often faced hostile gunfire when landing at the airport in Sarajevo. Some flights were locked onto by radar and had to deploy countermeasures and abort landings to avoid rocket fire. On September 3, 1992, an Italian Air Force G-222 cargo plane was shot down while en route to Sarajevo. All four crew members were killed.

When the program began, flights originated from Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Frankfurt, Germany and Ancona, Italy. In 1995 the flights were consolidated and all operations came from Ancona.

The patch was an item available in the Post Exchange (PX) to commemorate the UNHCR Sarajevo Airlift in 1994.

U.N. Sarajevo Souvenir Zippo Lighter:

After the United Nations Protective Forces took control of the Sarajevo Airport, they found it necessary to establish a military base on site. Part of that base was a PX or Post Exchange that contained additional supplies U.N. personnel might need to make their living conditions inside the war zone a bit more comfortable. Soldiers could purchase extra clothing, cigarettes, food, drinks, and even a limited numbers of souvenirs. Going back many years, Zippo lighters have been a popular keepsake during past wars. Bosnia was no exception. This U.N. Sarajevo Zippo lighter, with a U.N. insignia, was purchased in the PX and added to the collection during the war.