PAKTYA, Afghanistan – Polish forces serving at Forward Operating Base Thunder are part of a diverse group of military and civilian service members stationed in Paktya province.

Representing Task Force White Eagle, they are the largest contingent of Polish forces in Afghanistan.

“There are Polish operational mentoring liaison teams working with every brigade in the Afghan National Army’s 203rd Corps,” said Polish Liaison Team Chief, Lt. Col. Przemyslow Zietalak, of Zielona Gora, Poland.

Polish forces served alongside U.S. service members in both Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly 10 years, developing a great deal of experience in the Middle East. Many Polish soldiers also served in Lebanon with the United Nations.

Polish liaison teams help Afghan National Security Forces improve their ability to conduct combat training and to bridge the gap between Polish and other coalition forces.

Members of the liaison team are chosen due to their experience and language skills. All Polish liaison officers must pass an intensive English examination and take courses in either Dari or Pashto.

“The English testing was very difficult,” said Polish army 2nd Lt. Tomasz Brzywcy of Sulechow, Poland. “I had to pass all four sections, listening, reading, writing and speaking. Only two soldiers passed from my group.”

Brzywcy serves as Polish liaison to the Operation Coordination Center East. He coordinates Polish, Afghan and U.S. forces during times of national crisis or emergency.

According to Zietalak, skills in both English and host-nation languages are critical to Polish service members in Afghanistan. These skills help them to build relationships among the forces.

“The main challenge is to achieve trust and to be able to count on one another,” said Zietalak. “Cultural differences can be a source of trouble, we must be careful not to offend Afghan religious sensitivities.”

Brzywcy said there are significant cultural gaps that must be overcome for Polish service members to be successful in Afghanistan.

“The cultural differences are profound, the way [the Afghan people] express themselves, and the manner in which they solve problems is very different,” said Brzywcy. “The only way to overcome these challenges is to delve deeper into problems and attempt to truly understand my Afghan counterparts.”

Although less pronounced, there are also cultural differences between Polish and American forces. Polish food, military cultural, religion and language are quite different from what most Americans are familiar with. Still, despite their differences, Brzywcy said Polish, American and Afghan service members often forge deep personal relationships as they serve together in combat.

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