Photo By Capt. Jeffrey Rivard | Sgt. 1st Class Jason Alvarez, noncommissioned officer in charge, 172nd Public Affairs...... read more read more
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WIESBADEN, Germany - Operation Atlantic Resolve has been a continuous mission occurring over the last five months and has been supplemented by National Guard and Army Reserve components. The active duty may be the boots on the ground, but the citizen Soldiers are their eyes, ears and mouth.
“The public affairs mission during Operation Atlantic Resolve is telling the story of the activities performed here that are part of the U.S. Army Europe-led Operation Atlantic Resolve land force assurance training,” said Maj. Gookin, mobile public affairs augmentation team chief, Vermont National Guard state public affairs officer. “This is to enhance multinational interoperability, strengthen relationships among allied militaries, contribute to regional stability and demonstrate U.S. commitment to NATO.”
Fourteen National Guard Soldiers from four different states came together for the seventh augmented rotation. They would only have three weeks to prove their worth and for some, it was their first trip out of the country, opening the world of Army public affairs to them.
“This is my first overseas assignment, “ said 1st Lt. Jeffrey Rivard, commander, 172nd Public Affairs Detachment, Vermont National Guard. “I’ve never actually gotten the opportunity to conduct a real-world mission with my MOS [military occupation specialty] training.”
For other seasoned veterans, it was another assignment to strengthen their skills. Maj. Patrick Mayabb, 126th Press Camp Headquarters, Michigan National Guard, has more than 25 years of service and is no stranger to overseas assignments. He has been on three deployments and three overseas deployment-training missions. He feels missions like this are a great way to hold onto newer Soldiers who may not have much public affairs experience.
“Offering more missions like this can be a great tool to help keep and retain Soldiers we might lose because they get bored with the same type of AT [annual training] mission year after year,” Mayabb said. “For ODTs, three weeks is a bit short, but need to balance the time away with employers.”
It can be a delicate balance for National Guard Soldiers, because they need to maintain a balance between their Army work and their civilian career. Mayabb juggles his Army public affairs career, with his civilian career as an engineering supervisor at Dart Container in Michigan. While leaving work can be challenging, they all know it is for an important cause.
“It is our responsibility to document the dedication and work of our NATO partners and to show, not only the military, but also the civilian audiences that we stand united, said Staff Sgt. Kimberly Bratic, public affairs specialist, 126th Press Camp Headquarters. “Our photos, videos and stories are the key to reaching that audience.”
Trying to reach that audience and only have three weeks to do it can be quite the challenge. With travel, getting established and preparing to leave at the end, Soldiers can’t hit the ground running. They need to hit the ground sprinting.
No Soldier knew this better than Sgt. Angela Parady, public affairs specialist, 121st Public Affairs Detachment, Maine National Guard. She produced six news stories and published 26 photos, which contributed to the public affairs mission and led to thousands of Web views.
“This whole mission has a much bigger impact than many may see on the outside,” she said. “We are the link between what the Soldiers do and what the citizens see. We are the eyes and the ears for the people, and we make the difference in how our actions are seen.”
Soldiers are trained to accomplish their mission and it isn’t only officers and noncommissioned officers getting the job done. Junior enlisted Soldiers were volunteering to go on this mission. Spc. Brandon Ames, public affairs specialist, and Spc. John Brandenburg, combat correspondent, both with the 126th Press Camp Headquarters, volunteered for this and wanted to be involved in the action.
“As public affairs, it’s our job to get the story out as much as possible to create awareness of events and missions,” said Ames. “It’s not something I have an opportunity to do every day. These opportunities as a whole are rare. Never again, after the military, will I be able to travel the world and do my PA job.”
It was more of a homecoming for Brandenburg as he teamed up with the 1st Cavalry Division in Poland.
“I am originally a 19D [cavalry scout] and was excited to be around the Cav again,” said Brandenburg. “I love what I do and [I] am always excited to be able to showcase my abilities and tell the Army story.”
Telling the Army’s story is the focus for the public affairs Soldiers deployed to their locations. The 1st Cavalry Division replaced the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in October. The 1st Cavalry was working hard with their NATO allies in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to strengthen partnerships and reassure their allegiance to one another.
The training can be difficult, tiring, and exhausting, but the photos and videos taken by the public affairs Soldiers will hold that snapshot in time forever.
Soldiers experienced many firsts on this three-week rotation alone: The first American tank rounds ever fired in Poland and Latvia; the first American Soldiers participating in Poland’s All Saints Day, similar to America’s Memorial Day, after receiving an invitation from a town’s mayor; the first time young Estonian Soldiers were able to train side by side with Americans. And the National Guard’s public affairs Soldiers were there every step of the way to capture those historical moments.
These firsts, however, may not be what is most important to the Soldiers on the ground. What may have the most impact was the cavalry Soldiers helping cut and split wood to heat an orphanage during the coming cold months. It may be the training an Estonian soldier received from a scout that could someday save his life. Or, it could simply be the fist-bump between the Soldiers after a day of training.
The 214th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and the 362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Army Reserve units, replaced the four National Guard public affairs units in Europe. When Soldiers work as professionals, it doesn’t matter if it’s one unit or four units they get the job done.
“The value that the National Guard brings is we’re able to augment the active duty units when needed and get up to speed very quickly because of standard operating procedure and training,” said Mayabb. “We also bring civilian experience that adds value to the mission.”
This Army Guard and Reserve rotation in Europe may have ended, but their products will stand the test of time.
“When our children look in history books and see the photographs from World War I and World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, they see the world through the eyes of our Soldiers,” said Gookin who is a lifelong history student. “It is the lens of our Soldiers that capture those. Just how we study and admire the photos of our grandfathers is how these photos will be admired in years to come.”
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2014 14:55 |
| Story ID: | 147743 |
| Location: | WIESBADEN, DE |
| Web Views: | 235 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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