By Sgt. Erica Knight
108th Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SUMTER, SAUDI ARABIA — A number of distinguished visitors travelled thousands of miles to observe the soldiers of the 1-118th Infantry Regiment Combined Arms Battalion from the South Carolina Army National Guard in during the early days of Exercise Friendship Two.
Maj. Gen. Robert E. Livingston, the adjutant general of the South Carolina National Guard; Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, deputy director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau; Col. Waymon B. Storey, commander of the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Brickley, South Carolina National Guard command sergeant major; and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Kirkland, 218th MEB command sergeant major, visited with the troops on Feb 19 and 20.
“Not only is this a great environment for training and that we’re doing joint training with the Saudi Arabian army, but we are having strategic implications throughout the entire region. The engagements that we have with the Saudi Arabian army affect their army, it affects our Army, but it also shows the people of the region our ability to cooperate with each other and our ability to be able to operate together,” said Livingston.
They were briefed on the mission and status of the units participating in the exercise upon their arrival late in the evening on the 19th. The next morning they climbed the hills to the observation points surrounding the forward operating base. Before leaving, they visited with 2nd platoon, B Company and two Saudi generals on the training lanes outside the FOB.
“I’m very impressed with the morale of the soldiers and their ability to very quickly orient to a new environment and a new country and work very closely with their Saudi counterparts in a very demanding operational environment. The main thing I see is we have a definite level of cooperation we’ve already mastered with the Saudis, and that applies to anywhere we go. We saw it in Afghanistan; we saw it in Germany, Japan and Thailand. This battalion is successful wherever it goes, with whatever mission,” said Storey.
“This is a fantastic exercise and a fantastic venue, and we’re sending a real good message out to the people of the region, and I hope we’re sending a good message to the people of South Carolina too, because their men and women of the 1-118th are doing a great job,” added Livingston.
It was a whirlwind trip, but it well worth it to see how their soldiers were operating.
“The soldiers are enjoying the opportunity to train with the Saudi Army; they’re enjoying the opportunity to get this type of training that could lead up to a future deployment. They’re doing great things for the 218th and great things for the South Carolina National Guard,” said Kirkland.
Date Taken: | 03.04.2011 |
Date Posted: | 03.15.2011 08:46 |
Story ID: | 67077 |
Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE SUMTER, SA |
Web Views: | 295 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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