1/25 SBCT Soldiers experience India

Photo By Staff Sgt. Mylinda Durousseau | U.S. Soldiers from 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25ht Infantry Division and their Indian Army counterparts stand in front of the Pt. G.B. Pant High-Altitude zoo in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India, during a cultural day Sept. 21. Soldiers from 1/25 SBCT and the California National Guard are in India to participate in exercise Yudh Abhyas 14, a bilateral peacekeeping exercise between U.S. Army Pacific and the Indian Army. Exercise participants were able to visit the Jama Masjid mosque, shop and experience local food during cultural day. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Mylinda DuRousseau, 1/25 SBCT Public Affairs)  

NAINITAL, INDIA

09.21.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Mylinda Durousseau 

1st Brigade, 11th Airborne Division

NAINITAL, India - Colorful scarves blowing in the breeze, embellished saris, women knitting wool slippers, fresh guava fruit and the smell of samosas cooking as a cow walks past swishing its tail; more than 100 U.S. Soldiers from 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division and their Indian Army counterparts spent the day taking this in and more during a cultural visit to Nainital, Uttarakhand, India Sept. 21.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said U.S. Pfc. William Miller, from Louisville, Ohio and an information technologies specialist with 1/25 SBCT. “I met some of the locals and went shopping.”

U.S. and Indian Soldiers are working together Sept. 17-30 as they take part in exercise Yudh Abhyas 14, a bilateral peacekeeping exercise between U.S. Army Pacific and the Indian Army. The cultural day provided an opportunity to step away from the exercise and focus on building relationships and learning about each other’s culture.

U.S. Sgt. Jeff Newsome, a native of Newport News, Virginia, said his favorite part of the day was walking through the market with his counterpart.

“He explained cultural things to me; Indian slippers, Indian necklaces,” Newsome said. “That would probably be the best part to me, being with my counterpart in that environment.”

“It was wonderful to take a break but also to have our counterparts show us their local area,” said U.S. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Carrie McGrann, 1/25 SBCT aviation officer from Tacoma, Washington.

During the trip the Soldiers were able to visit a high-altitude zoo, see the Jama Masjid mosque, take in scenic views, shop and experience local food.

“I bought some shawls and scarves for family back home. I ate some local food it was good, definitely different,” said Miller. “(The locals) are very generous and respectful people; it’s a whole different lifestyle here.”

McGrann said spending the day outside of the work atmosphere improved her working relationship with her counterpart.

“To get to know your counterpart on a different level, not just how you work but also on a personal level, it is easier to communicate when you know someone on more than on just a work level,” McGrann said.

Exercise YA 14 includes coordination and cooperation training and situational training exercises. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the exercise, which has taken place in the U.S. as well as India and has grown from platoon-level operations to include brigade and battalion-level operations while adapting to changing missions to focus on low-intensity, counter-insurgent actions in order to improve the ability of all forces involved to respond to a wide range of contingencies related to United Nations missions.

• Date Taken: 09.21.2014
• Date Posted: 09.23.2014 10:02
• Story ID: 142988
• Location: NAINITAL, IN
• Hometown: NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US
• Hometown: TACOMA, WA, US