MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Today is the Oktoberfest celebration for the visiting German Air Force and their U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps friends, to be celebrated in Mountain Home.
According to the Daily Star, Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair held annually in Munich, Germany, when Germans and Bavarians celebrate German reunification.
Celebrations have been far from the agenda with Germans and American allies here these past two weeks, as the combined-joint forces have been grinding the clocks, day and night, practicing a variety of combat situations during the multinational exercise Mountain Roundup 2013, part of the German Air Force Tornado Fighter Weapons Instructor Course Mission Employment (ME) Phase, and is scheduled to end Oct. 16.
It’s true, there have been more afterburners thrusting here than bratwursts barbecuing, and far more close-air support (CAS) missions flown than steins of beer poured. However, for one evening the visiting GAF and invited attendees, are going to counter that balance, and take an evening of downtime from 12- to 16- hour shifts to revel the famous German celebration.
During the “war years,” or during World War I, the years between, and World War II, Oktoberfest didn’t take place in most of Europe. It’s ironically fitting that in the same timeframe, during the famed Battle of Belleau Wood, U.S. Marines earned the title of “Teufelshunde,” or “Devil Dog,” from their - then, enemy - German forces.
Here during Mountain Roundup, German joint terminal attack controllers and JTACs from the 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company took to the hills and simulate villages as a combined team, calling in CAS from U.S., German and Republic of Singaporean air assets, and serving as a combined-joint team both on the ground and in the air.
“Everybody brings a different capability to the fight, and the Weapons Instructor Under Graduates should figure out, who is the best for the tasked job,” said GAF Maj. Marcel Schlereth, ME phase manager. “This will help international interoperability, because we do not speak the same language, so probable mistakes could lead to a different action. Therefore professionalism is very important.”
ANGLICO is deep routed in supporting foreign operations and is currently the Marine Corps foreign liaison for operations.
“In the 1980s, ANGLICO supported 35 operations with U.S. Army and Allied nations, ranging from arctic operations in northern Norway, exercises in the Mediterranean, (tactical air party) support for U.S. Navy carrier wings in the Caribbean and training operations with South American militaries,” said U.S. Marine Capt. Charles Watt, 1st ANGLICO Supporting Arms Liaison Team officer-in-charge. “It participated in sensitive peacekeeping operations in Beirut, Lebanon for evacuations and subsequently the multi-national Peace Keeping Force.
ANGLICO teams supported British, Italian, French and Lebanese Army elements and engaged enemy targets on several occasions via USMC, USN and Lebanese supporting arms.”
Essentially, the partnership seen in NATO has been demonstrated here in the Idaho deserts during Mountain Roundup 2013, so later today these same partners will partake in an ancient German tradition as one … to celebrate German, to celebrate the Autumn harvest, to celebrate team work, to celebrate the Marine Corps, to toast to Air Power and to take a few hours of down time … after all, it’s Oktoberfest.