By Lou Bortone

What exactly does a United Nations peace-keeper really do? I wondered as I made my way through the gauntlet of security checks at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Once greeted by Tim Cornett, an affable army aviation officer and unassuming recipient of the Bronze Star, I was escorted down a long corridor lined with portraits of past U.N Secretaries General. As we made our way to the U.N. cafeteria, I was about to learn how Cornett, a 23-year veteran of the military, had ended up at the United Nations at perhaps the most critical time in the U.N.'s history.

Col. Tim Cornett is a planning officer in the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations. Essentially "on loan" from the U.S. Army to the U.N., Cornett is part of a team that monitors and evaluates world situations and emerging conflicts to determine the U.N.'s role and course of action for volatile regions. In Cornett's case, the region is central Africa, where the United Nations is currently involved in peace-keeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He visits the Congo regularly to review U.N. plans and, at present, oversee the withdrawal of neighboring countries' forces and the disarmament of "uncontrolled armed groups" in the jungle. The peacekeepers' role in the region is limited by the U.N.'s mandate, and any further action would require a new resolution and approval of the 15-member U.N. Security Council.

With the situation in central Africa untenable, Cornett's day-to-day duties are complex and unpredictable. Cornett describes varying degrees of U.N. involvement with expression like "separating belligerents," "establishing zones of separation," "engaging force on force," and, of course, "observing peace accords." His region includes some of the world's most dangerous hot spots, including the Congo, Burundi, and Zimbabwe.

A veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the NATO operations in the Balkans, Col. Cornett is no stranger to hostile regions. His Army assignments have often brought him to what he casually calls "unsecured environments," including Bosnia and Croatia. Other tours have landed the former helicopter pilot in Germany, Hungary, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, where Cornett helped keep aircraft flying during Desert Storm.

With his dad in the military, it's little wonder that he showed an interest in the service as early as high school. Romanced by the prospects for adventure—and a helicopter ride as a sophomore at Saint Anselm—Cornett joined the ROTC program.

The day he graduated from Saint Anselm, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and his military career began.

Prior to his nomination and selection for service at the U.N., Cornett graduated the Army War College in 2001 with a master of science degree in strategic studies. Though still "seconded" to the United Nations from the U.S. government, Cornett expects he will eventually return to service in the U.S Army.

In a world more dangerous than ever, it's comforting to know that there are people like Col. Tim Cornett dedicated to keeping the peace.