Photo By Spc. Cassandra Simonton | U.S Army Sgt. 1st Class Micki Bryant of the Louisiana National Guard Alpha Co. 199...... read more read more
ADAZI, Latvia-U.S Army Sgt. 1st Class Micki Bryant of the Louisiana National Guard Alpha Co. 199 Brigade Support Battalion out of Colfax, La., is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the “mayor cell,” or a support element, at Adazi Military Training Area near Riga, Latvia, during Saber Strike 2014.
Saber Strike 2014 is a joint, multinational military exercise scheduled from June 9 - 20, 2014. The exercise spans multiple locations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and involves approximately 4,500 personnel from 10 nations. The exercise is designed to promote regional stability, strengthen international military partnerships, enhance multinational interoperability and prepare participants for worldwide contingency operations.
“When people from multiple nations come together to learn to work as a group, it helps individuals gain knowledge from one another, which helps the multinational service members examine new methods with which to solve problems,” said Bryant. “I think this exercise will benefit any future deployment where multinationals are working together.”
The mayor cell is an essential part of any exercise, especially one as large as Saber Strike, as it is where all personnel and supply information is compiled and filed. The mayor cell acts as a liaison between U.S. and multinational troops to disseminate information, as well as ensuring all supply issues are taken care of for U.S. troops. The primary purpose of the exercise, and specifically the mayor cell’s role, is to build rapport and understanding with the other countries to advance working relationships in the future.
“It is important to be courteous and kind to people and make sure you take the opportunity to really talk to people,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Tristin Proulx, of the Louisiana National Guard’s 199th Headquarters Support Battalion. “The main point of this is building those relationships and dynamics so the nations can know we work well together.”
The soldiers in the mayor cell have been working twelve hour rotations, sometimes longer; to keep the cell staffed 24/7 to provide necessary support. There are six Louisiana National Guard soldiers working in Adazi and four more in Latvia’s capital city of Riga.
The Louisiana unit had three weeks to prepare before they departed to the country of Latvia, a country that none of them had been to prior to this exercise. In Louisiana, the unit’s primary mission is to send out supplies in support of the entire brigade. Everyone in the unit said they have grown much closer throughout this mission.
“I think in any exercise you have to build certain camaraderie,” said Proulx. “We’ve really come together to work as a team, and when we learn something from a foreign national we all pass it on to learn and grow together.”
Bryant has served with the Louisiana National Guard for 15 years and deployed with them to Iraq from 2005-2006. As a civilian, Bryant works with the Internal Revenue Service as a revenue officer. Bryant said her job within the IRS correlated well with her duties in the mayor cell.
“I also manage their time and putting out information,” said Bryant of her civilian job. “I act as a go-between for different entities within a group. There are so many different units working together that it’s important to gather all the information into one place and put it out for people.”
Bryant said the Latvian soldiers have been extremely helpful for our mission success, ensuring all our needs were met and any information we needed were made readily available.
“This has been a very cool experience,” said Bryant. “It’s great training to help all the different nations to work together.”
U.S. Army Capt. Japheth Johnson, of the Louisiana National Guard Higher Headquarters Company 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and commander of both mayor cells at Saber Strike, said their unit is doing an excellent job of running the support behind the scenes and facilitating the Adazi Training Base, while getting a taste of a new culture.
“Bryant has really stepped up to the plate and worked beyond her pay grade when looking after the soldiers,” said Johnson. “She has orchestrated and facilitated not just this site, but all other sites.”
“Having a good support system is key to a successful mission,” said Bryant.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2014 11:18 |
| Story ID: | 133214 |
| Location: | ADAZI TRAINING AREA, AI, LV |
| Web Views: | 396 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldiers work behind the scenes of Saber Strike 14, by SPC Cassandra Simonton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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