Photo By Master Sgt. Lynette Hoke | Staff Sgt. Angelic Leal helps nail lumber into the new roof with fellow soldiers of...... read more read more
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CROATIA - Minnesota Army National Guard Soldiers are known to juggle the ongoing responsibilities of maintaining family, a career, education and the constant requirements of the mountain of mandatory tasks it takes to be in the United States military.
The pressure of rifle ranges, annual training days and deployments won’t get Staff Sgt. Angelica Leal down. Leal, construction supervisor with the 851st Vertical Engineer Company out of Camp Ripley, loves what she does.
“I love what I do and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Leal a single mother of three. “Working side by side with the Soldiers and helping them grow is very rewarding.”
Recently Leal and approximately 30 other members of the 851st VEC packed their hammers and power drills to participate in a humanitarian civic assistance project in rural eastern Croatia.
“I love my kids and I miss them a ton, but I enjoy working with my troops on these types of missions,” said Leal, a native of Roseville, Minnesota.
Guardsmen are often called upon to work with communities in need all around Minnesota and the world. Coming to Croatia to rebuild a small village community center after serve flooding damaged the space was a task well-suited for these Soldiers and engineers.
“It’s great to see how happy the town’s people are that we are here,” said Leal. “Knowing we are able to give back to a community that is in need, work with the Croatian army and be able to immerse ourselves in the culture here is such an added bonus.”
The project was made possible by the Minnesota National Guard State Partnership with Croatia, U.S. European Command and a partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb. The unit is expected to be completed with the project and return to Minnesota by mid-July.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2015 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 168905 |
| Location: | HR |
| Hometown: | CROOKSTON, MN, US |
| Hometown: | ROSEVILLE, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Soldier Stories: Staff Sgt. Angelica Leal, by MSgt Lynette Hoke, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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