Isso. Soldiers in Spielfeld.

Still every day thousands of people crossing Austria on their way from all over the world to Germany. The hotspot for Austria remains the border in Spielfeld, Styria. There is a lot of reading, a lot of hearing, but not a lot of listening to what the soldiers at the border think. Here is a SPARTANAT report from the scene:

Who am I telling this to? Off day.

During breakfast. The children talk about school – St. Martin's parade, lantern making. St. Martin, a soldier who takes personal responsibility. Sharing the coat – what a beautiful story of human help.

We usually comment on the soldierly devotion to unchangeable events with "isso," the soldier's axiom.

"Can't you share your jacket with someone else too?" The question is too intense, too direct – hitting the nail on the head – as only children can. The answer? Stuck in my throat. Experiences that won't go away, situations you can't talk about. Cry, complain? In the basement. The media reality, which paints a picture not perceived by us due to information selection, makes explanations difficult, almost impossible. Even mundane daily routines encounter incomprehension when told. We usually comment on the soldierly devotion to unchangeable events with "isso," the soldier's axiom. ("isso" is dialect for "that's just the way it is"). This is by no means trivializing, but rather a statement of fulfilling a mission despite difficult circumstances. Isso.

Avoid watching television. After the concrete, deadly terror, there is a new dimension of the quality of response to the question of personal protective equipment: "The requested stab/cut-resistant vests and gloves wouldn't have helped against explosives and Kalashnikovs anyway." (!) We bought them ourselves.

Since September 20, 2015, the cadre presence units have been in safety police operations.

Terrorists among the HSF (a command term officially used for all the people coming from wherever: Helpless and in need of protection strangers)? Who? The isolated, thoughtless remarks of certain hotheads cannot be pursued amidst the endless masses, just as there could be tons of war material hidden in the thousands of unnoticed baggage items. Control is prohibited (!) – the flow of people towards bus transport would cease. An uprising is feared. Allahu akbar! Yes, God is greater ... than anything else; there are no "weapon stands" here, only highly trained professional soldiers with international experience – we know what you're shouting. Also, that this profession of belief is being misused.

The "fence story" has considerable entertainment value here, not in a political, but in a practical sense – the fence is actually ourselves.

The cooperation with the police? Those on the scene, collegial, professional, comradeship. We are all in the same boat. The discrepancies in the leadership hit us equally negatively. The competence from years of foreign missions occasionally clashes with the assigned task as "aid staff for accompanying entrants." The "fence story" has considerable entertainment value here, not in a political, but in a practical sense – the fence is actually ourselves.

Still (actually already) the prevailing feeling is helplessness. Tight service routines make the "daily business" more bearable.

Where thousands of faces pass you by, you remain alone, with your thoughts...

Border work in Spielfeld: HERE is the first SPARTANAT report from the scene

Photos: ÖBH, Archive