Meet The 30-Year-Old Mother Of Three On Army Mission To Afghanistan

When a 207 strong Croatian army contingent heads off on an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission to Afghanistan in March, there will be 13 women amongst them. One of those women is 30-year-old mother of three Lana Olsak and she told her story to daily Vecernji list.

“It is going to be hard to go because of my kids, but they have been ready for this for a while now. For years we have been preparing for a situation like this so I don’t expect any problems,” said Olsak, who has three boys, aged 2, 4 and 10. Her unemployed husband will look after the kids whilst she is away Afghanistan.

Lana, who is from the eastern Croatian town of Pozega, says that with an unemployed husband and three young kids, there is only one real motive for heading off on the potentially dangerous mission.

“Of course, money. It was more my decision, but my husband agreed,” said Lana.

Despite everything, Lana is looking forward to heading off in March. “It will be sad and there will be tough moments, but I believe that my family and I will get through it.”

Lana says that her oldest son is not shy in telling his friends at school that his mother is in the army, and she hopes that at least one of her sons follows in her footsteps and dons an army uniform when they grow up.

Lana and the Croatian contingent will be based in Afghanistan for six months.