Foreign Wars

Cossack soldiers in 19th century uniforms, a new "country" called "Transnistria, " the Russian 14th Army firing artillery its commander swore it didn't really fire, and Romania-backed government troops. The bizarre history of this former Soviet republic, and the troubled turn at which I briefly found it in June 1992, has contemporary roots in its World War II past, when Nazi Germany conquered the … [Read more...] about War of Transnistria; a mean little conflict in former Soviet Moldova (combat footage)

This essay was originally published in The Arizona Republic after a return from nearly a year of covering the siege of Sarajevo and the war elsewhere in the Balkans at the height of hostilities. Includes previously unpublished photos from Bensman's private collection. Reflections on Homecoming By Todd BensmanSpecial to The Republic LATE ONE NIGHT NOT LONG AGO, some soldiers in the … [Read more...] about My War In Bosnia 1992-1993

When not in Sarajevo, Bensman reported elsewhere in the Balkan states, starting with his first foray to observe final throes of the Croatia war in March and April of 1992. In August 1993, he returned - exhausted from his experiences - to the United States. Notably during this time, he reported clandestinely on the developing storm inside the Serb-controlled province of Kosovo, on warfare between … [Read more...] about Balkan war and peace

The Bosnian Serb siege of Sarajevo endured for 1,425 days from April 1992 through February 1996. About 11,500 residents were killed and 56,000 more wounded by the hundreds of rounds of mortars, artillery, and rockets that randomly hit the city each day. From his bases in Zagreb and later Split, Croatia from November 1992 through July 1993, Bensman boarded UN C-130 emergency food supply flights for … [Read more...] about The Siege of Sarajevo: Inside the longest and most destructive city siege since World War II

Stories, photos and reflections from a first-time war experience that provided more learning than coverage. An attempt to cover a major war as a freelance journalist who had never before freelanced nor traveled abroad, working from Israel, Jordan, and Egypt until the money ran out. Includes never-published photos On background: Long after I returned to the U.S. and took a staff writer’s … [Read more...] about The Gulf War 1991