Patrols from Morgan will, in some cases, spend half that time on the road, he said. They can focus on the mission. David Muhlenkamp said some patrols might leave McGovern at 8 a.m. and return at 9 p.m. or later. It is not uncommon to encounter livestock being herded along a road. Slow-moving vehicles from horse carts to overloaded trucks compete with speeding cars.
Miles can sometimes slide past at a snail's pace.
Morgan opened hastily last fall, just a few feet off the road at the edge of Gornja Slatina. It is now undergoing a complete makeover, reconstructed nearly from scratch farther from the road, just behind the current facility. Behind the base, bulldozers have leveled an area that is quickly being built up. Hard-hatted workers did their business through a chilly rain Saturday. While construction continues, the base is home for only a few dozen soldiers, including a signal unit to handle communications and a military intelligence detachment, along with soldiers from Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, who provide force protection.