Graduates CGSC Class of 1998

Was it really the best year of our life, or was it the best year of our....?

Contents

Current Projects

• The International Hall of Fame
  On September 14, 2000, CGSC dedicated its new International Hallway in Eisenhower Hall.  This new hallway contains the International Hall of Fame and its 195 members photos, plus two new sections - the International Sponsor Program and its awardees and photos and memorabilia honoring the Sponsor Pioneers, Robert (Bob) and Mary Kalhorn and Ed and Dolly Gordon. 
  To view article on this dedication ceremony, go to CGSC-IOSD web site: http://www.cgsc.army.mil/dsa/iosd/graduates/index.asp
  
  
• Changes at CGSC - Fort Leavenworth - update August 2008
  We left Fort Leavenworth in June 1998. Since then, lots of things have changed :
  • A fence still seperates the military part (Fort Leavenworth) of the rest of the town. At the entrance, an ID control and carcheck is mandatory
  • An International Officer (IO) is called International Military Student (IMS) now.
  • Bell Hall has served the last years : a new building, called "The Lewis and Clarck Center" or "LCC" replaces our good old classrooms. The "Big bleu bedroom" with a capacity of some 1400 seats, has been replaced by a new one (they still call it the Big Bleu Bedroom, although the color is not blue) with a capacity of some 1750 seats.
  • The course "by correspondance" is no longer. Every American Officer that is in the conditions for CGSC will attend the College. A common course of some Six months is followed by specialist courses afterwards in different locations. The International Military Students stay for a whole year and attend specialist courses at CGSC. There's a part of the course that starts in February (some 33 % of all students, including some IMS) and a part that starts in June like we did.
  • The International Hall of Fame has been moved from Bell Hall to Eisenhower Hall.
  • Housing on post is undergoing changes to: the older houses disappear and new houses fill in these slots.
  • The well known "Thursday evening IO meeting" moved for a period to the "Frontier Conference Center". In 2008, no more news about this event. On the other hand, there's a little bar in de LCC that opens every day at 1500 Hr (for staff and students).
  • The staff of IOSD has changed completely. The point of contact for the "International Military Student Office" is cgscimso@leavenworth.army.mil
  • Some pictures of the new classrooms (rooms take only 2 classes of 16 to 18 students, all students have their own PC in the desk, teleconference can be done from in class), Marshall auditorium, the entrance of LCC with the Lamp and the Buffalo Soldier (with bleu water).

• Meetings (Planned)

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Hot List

• Our connection with CGSC :
  • http://www-cgsc.army.mil/dsa/iosd/index.htm
• Homepages of our IO 98 graduates :
  • www.members.home.com/pduff1/Petra.html
    

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Who lives Where?

(this is a merge of data from IOSD, Margie Holland, personnal cards we got)

First of all the IOs

Last but not least, some US contacts

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Personal or Personnel Interests

What's new for the graduates of 98 (I will try to keep every item in the tabel for at least a year. Depending on the size of this page, the old items will disappear....into the eternal winds...of the great plains of Kansas and neighborhood....or so)

Date	what happened
December 2000	A message I got in at Christmas 2000 : We have our first General Officer !!!!!!! Cedric Borland has been promoted Brigadier General and is now Commandant of the Belize Defence Force. In behalf of all the IOs 98 : a very big congratulations.
August 23th 2002	During our meeting in OLMEN Belgium, somebody told me Theodor Frunzetti would be have been promoted to General Officer (Bde Gen or Maj Gen). If so, he's the second Gen Officer in our Class. a big congratulations.
September 27th 2002	Cedric Borland, our first General Officer and Commander of his countries Armed Forces, has been inaugurated to the International Hall of Fame. In behalf of all the IOs 98 : a very big congratulations.
December 2002	We have our third General Officer. Khodor Tawil is a General Officer now and works for State Security Directorate, which follows directly the President of the State.  A very big congratulations to Khodor and his family.
June 2004	Our friend Akram Masood has been promoted to the rank of BrigadierGeneral and will put on his rank in July 2004. A very big congratulations
December 25th 2006	Binoj Basniat is promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
January 1st 2007	Daniel Berger is promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He's commanding the 1 Armor Bde
October 31st 2007	Zija Bahja returned from Vienne - Austria as Senior Military Representative in the OSCE and UN in January 2007. He took charge of the Albanian Armed Forces Support Command and is promoted Brigadier General.
November 13th 2007	Jane's Defence Weekly has an article on the Roumanian Armed Forces. It states that Theodor Frunzetti is a LtGen now and is the Commanding General of the Roumanian Army. A very big congratulations to Theo from all of us.
December 9th 2007	An update on Julio Barreto: After returning to Brazil in 1998, he took command of 22th Field Artilery Battalion in the city of Uruguaiana, closer to Argentine border. In 2003, he moved to Georgetown in Guyana, to become the Brazilian Defense, Navy and Army Military Attache for two years. In November 2006, he went to Portugal and Italy to participate in an Intenational Military Festival of Films in Bracciano-Italy. In March 2007, he is promoted to Brigadier General and moved to Sao Paulo. Now, he is Chief of Staff of the Southeast Military Command. Everywhere he went, he met our IO-collegues.
December 28th 2007	Dimitrios Mikos has been promoted to Brigadier General and is now serving as DCOS Spt at NATO HQ in Valencia - Spain. A big Congrats.
May 15th 2008	Milan Obreza is promoted to Brigadier General. His promotion took place on May 15th, the "Day of the Slovenian Army". A big congratulations.
June 16th 2009	Theodor Frunzetti is a LtGen and is the Commanding General of the Roumanian Defence College and has the title of University Dean (got this information through a Roumanian Officer present at the CWID demonstration in June 09 in NORWAY)
August 25th 2009	After a successful year at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania Don Roach has returned to Australia.  Don has been promoted to Brigadier-General and is Director General Army Operations in Army HQ in Canberra.
October 25th 2009	Leo Beulen has been posted on the jog of Director Joint Coordination Center at FC HQ in Heidelberg. As of October 15th, he is promoted to Brigadier-General. A big congratulations.
December 26th 2009	Rudy Debaene is promoted to Major-General on December 26th 2009.
December 26th 2009	Dimitrios Mikos is now retired and ended his carreer as Major-General. He now lives in Lehep-Korinthos in Greece.
January 18th 2010	David Nairashvilli is now promoted Bde Gen and is serving as DCHOD.
May 27th 2010	During his Security Studies Tour in Europe, Binoj Basniat spend some time with Ted Marlow and Daniel Berger in Switzerland and with Rudy Debaene in Belgium. Thanks to his presence, we can post folowing updates: Chuchart Comnooch is posted as head of the War College in Bangkok. Claudio Dei, as well as Julio Lucia, are serving in Afghanistan Gaolathe Galebotswa has been promoted to Major General and is Commander of the Ground Forces BDF: a very big congratulations Rhatindra Khatri is serving at the HQ UN Mission in Haiti and as highest ranking Offr is contingent commander of NEPBAT Ajah Sah has been promoted to BdeGen and is Commanding officer of a Bde in Kashmir : a very big congratulations Thitehan Naretrak has been promoted to MajGen: a very big congratulations
July 5th 2010	Chun Sing Chan has been promoted to Maj Gen and is Singapore Chief of the Army since April of May 2010. A very big congratulations
October 8th 2010	Binoy Basniat brings me following news: Mustafa Ahmed Saqeb (Bangladesh Armed Forces) has been promoted BrigadierGeneral. He is posted at the Army HQ in the procurement Dept.
December 30th 2010	Gabriel Bayarte mails me he was promoted to Brigade General last March 19th 2010. A very big congratulations.
January 10th 2011	Luis Nunes has been promoted Major-General in June 2010 and is now Chief of the Army Directorate for Human Resources Management in Oporto - Portugal. A big congratulations.
April 3th 2011	Gulio Lucia is back from Afghanistan and  released also regimental command last November. He's now working in the Joint Staff as chief of the International Organizations Branch.
April 10th 2011	Paul Duff, Ana and the kids are moving back to Europe this summer as he takes up the position as Defence Attache in Belgrade, Serbia.
June 12th 2011	Charles Sevin is for the moment being in Fort Lewis for an exercise.
June 12th 2011	Ivan Kovalenko is posted at US CENTCOM - CV-3/Ukraine - Mac Dill AFB for the next 9 to 10 months.
June 12th 2011	Martin Kavalir is LTC now. Since January 2010, he is the CO of the 152nd Engineer Battalion. The battalion is located near Prague. Last year he has spent 8 months in Kosovo with his battalion.
June 12th 2011	Martin Faulkner has left the Army and has transferred to the Army Reserve.
June 19th 2011	Zija Bahja is retired as BdeGen. He's working as a professor of of Security Studies and International Relations, teaching in the post gradates and Senior undergraduates courses, MSc level  included . Despite of Defence Academy, he's involved in two Albanian private universities, where he teaches in English.
June 26th 2011	Saleh Sevil is Brigadier General and is posted qs Chief of the Training Division at Turkish  General Staff in Ankara.
October 15th 2011	Binoy Basniat meets at PKK with the Chucharts. Later, Binoy and Namrata Basniat meet with Lana Caron in Nepal.
December 16th 2011	Binoy Basniat will be posted as the Commandant of the Nepalese Army Military Academy.
January 2nd 2012	Luis Nunes joined the National Guard (Gendarmerie) in March 2011 and is the Commandant of the Coast Control Brigade in Lisbon.
February 5th 2012	Paul Duff assumes the post of Canadian Defence Attaché Serbia effective 1 August 2011.
February 6th 2012	Paul King returned to active service in 2011 and completed a tour to Afghanistan as a reservist with NATO ISAF on Kabul. He Had a really good tour and also caught up with Charles Sevin.  Now he's back home as the deputy commander of the 1 Nz Bde and that accounts for his spare time when he's not in school running secondary school leadership programmes in Palmerston North Boys’ High School.
February 6th 2012	Ratindra Khatri was retired from the Army as a Colonel on 7th July 2011. At present he's working as Executive Director of the Strategic Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction Nepal, an independent, non profit, non governmental organization based in Kathmandu.
February 6th 2012	Don Roach sends an email telling that Charles Sevin was based in Stavanger Norway at the NATO Trg Centre there.   Chun Sing Chan retired from Singapore Army after reaching the Chief of Army, entered politics and is now a member of parliament.

 

Family news

 

Date	what happened
May 27th 2010	Some sad news: News reached us that Shompa Saqeb has past away some time ago due to medical reasons. We express our condoleances to Mustafa and his kids and wish them a lot of strength and courage to coop with this.
December 21st 2010	Some news on the King Family: Olivia has finished 3rd Year physio at Otago University – one year to go on placement and celebrated her 21st birthday this year; Chris turned 19 at Otago University doing first year in Health Sciences – played rugby for Otago Under 19’s;  Jonathan is now 15 so they all have a licence now!  He has 2 years to go at PNBHS and has been in NZ Koru and NZ U16 Basketball programme this year;  Michele is a Charge Nurse at Palmerston North hospital and completed post grad nursing studies this year.
June 13th 2011	Martin Kavalir's son Ondrej (20) just finished the high school and he is ready for University, daughter Lucie (14) is in eigh grade at school. His wife Jitka still works in hospital.
June 19th 2011	Some update on Zija Bahje's family. His children are grown up now His son Endri is married with Mira, a girl graduated in Law. She has got a full scholarship from Swedish Institute, to study in Stockholm University, MSc level  for International Law and Arbitrage. His daughter Alba, engaged, working as a pharmacist manager in UK, after her graduation from Cardiff University, UK.
November 27th 2011	The Abelsons will be spending Christmas in Norway checking out their first grand-child: Rune just got his first baby girl, Ylva. Anette is now 22, studying medicine in Riga, Latvia.
December 16th 2011	Binamra Basniat has completed his Masters in Diplomacy and International Studies, while Binayak is joining his Masters this Jan. Binamra will spend a few months in the University when he will look for a job at home in Nepal.
December 23th 2011	Olivia King graduated from Otago University in Physiotherapy and commences her first job with Cape Physio in Hawkes Bay in 2012.   Chris completed his second year in Biomedical Science at Otago University and he joined the Reserves at the end of the year and is happy in his study and training. Jono finished Year 12 at school and had a basketball trip to China this year. He returns for his final year at school in 2012.  Michele is now in Elder Health at Mid Central Health and enjoying the step up and the new job responsibilities.
December 24th 2011	Joana Nunes finished her studies in 2010 allready and has a University degree in Communication and Journalism. She works for the company "Glam Communications". Maria Nunes keeps the Social Security Services in Torres Vedras, the place where the Nunes family lives.
February 6th 2012	Anisha Khatri is a Student of Bachelor in Business Administration and Abhash is in final year of High School ( Science faculty class 12). Rachana is doing good to give her hand on Ratindra's new job.

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Photo gallery

• Some pictures of CGSC

Lewis and Clarck Center; The Lamp

A new classroom; Marshall auditorium

The Buffalo Soldier

• and the end of "Bell Hall" (Dec 08)

• Don Roach and Charles Sevin at the DFAC in Kabul (September 2010)

• Paul King and Charles Sevin in Kabul (April 2011)

• Martin Kavalir in Kosovo somewhere mid 2011 (picture in June 2011)

• The King family (June 2011)

• Binoy Basniat and the Chuchart Cumnooch and his Family in PKK (October 2011)

• The Basniats with Lana Caron in Nepal (October 2011)

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Contact Information

For getting something on this webpage, please get the information to Daniel Berger , danielberger@swissonline.ch, or Rudy Debaene, rmr.debaene@skynet.be, by phone, letter, pigeons, bottles in the ocean, messages in the wind or personal visits (please notify us up front so we can arrange something to sleep and eat).....

We've indicated here the regional responsables (decided during the last week of CGSC Y98):

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Comments and Suggestions

Please send me mail telling me what you think about this page and how I might improve it. All remarks are welcome, and will be treated according to the mood I'm in...(most of the time I'm in a good mood, certainly when I get some news from one of the better IOs that graduated form CGSC : WE!!!!!!!).

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Copyright : Rudy Debaene.
Last revised: februari 06, 2012.