Photo By Sgt. Kayla Benson | Polish elementary school students greeted U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with the 364th...... read more read more
Children lined the windows of the small elementary school in Warsaw, Poland, waving and smiling as five U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers approached the building. As soon as the front door opened, the troops were greeted by a group of students shouting in English, “welcome to our school!”
The 364th Expeditionary Sustainment Command Soldiers, training in Poland during the exercise Anakonda 2016, visited the elementary school June 16 to discuss the differences and similarities between the two countries and give the students an opportunity to practice English.
Anakonda 16 is one of Poland and U.S. Army Europe’s premier multinational training events, which features 24 nations and seeks to train, exercise and integrate Polish national command and force structures into an allied, joint, multinational environment.
The five U.S. troops spoke to three groups of children between kindergarten and sixth grade at Tadeusz Kościuszko Elementary School #174. They discussed where each of them lived in the United States, their hobbies, jobs and families. The children then asked the troops questions ranging from their favorite food to combat experience.
“I loved the questions they had because it was funny to think that if I were a kid, I would totally ask the same thing like ‘what food do you eat,’ ‘what do you do for fun,’ ‘what’s your dog’s name,’” said said Sgt. Jennifer Hoeppner, a human resource administrator. “I wish I was able to do that sort thing with other cultures when I was that age.”
“I thought it would be a good idea to have someone who speaks English come so the children could have some contact with the English language,” said Oscar Mazzotti, the school’s English and Spanish teacher who wrote a letter to the U.S. troops inviting them.
The teacher, a Peru-native, explained the importance of speaking multiple languages.
“My teachers were American teachers, actually, in Peru, and so with my own experience I know what it takes to learn another language,” said Mazzotti. “Even though I thought, ‘oh, I will never learn, and this and that,’ it stays in your mind, and that’s why it was very important for the children to have this contact with [the Soldiers].”
Tadeusz Kościuszko Elementary School #174 has a much smaller class size than traditional Polish schools and specializes in special and behavioral needs, explained Mazzotti. He also commented many of the children’s parents or other family members serve in the Polish Army as either active duty or in a Reserve component.
Capt. A. Sean Taylor, a medical logistician and public affairs officer, compared the farmland throughout Poland to his hometown of Ames, Iowa. Hoeppner demonstrated some of the Polish phrases she learned while participating in Anakonda 16.
“I had visited a lot of schools and done a lot of work with civil affairs [in Iraq] with donations and dropping off school supplies, that sort of thing, so I had worked with local populations from other countries before,” said Hoeppner. “It’s always exciting to see kids, and it’s fun and challenging at the same time to talk to them.”
The second and third graders presented the Reserve speakers with several drawings depicting Soldiers, tanks, U.S. Flags and other American themes. After the final class, Mazzotti gave a book about Warsaw to the troops and a letter thanking them for their visit. The Soldiers then explained the tradition of trading uniform patches and presented the 364th ESC unit patch, along with rank, nameplates and other insignia, to Mazzotti on behalf of the unit.
“The reaction was very positive, exciting for them, and I think they are very happy to have you,” Mazzotti said to the Soldiers.
Before the Reserve Soldiers left the school, multiple students approached them and asked for autographs and photographs.
“I know the children will remember you. They will remember your faces also, maybe not your names, but they will remember your faces and the kind way you’ve been speaking to them,” Mazzotti told the troops. “You’re going to leave a very positive impression.”
Whether or not the children could speak English or the Soldiers speak Polish, it was clear the similarities between the two nations were vast and the partnership built by opportunities like this one, provided by Anakonda 16, would leave a lasting impression on both parties.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2016 17:06 |
| Story ID: | 201613 |
| Location: | WARSAW, PL |
| Hometown: | AMES, IA, US |
| Hometown: | MARYSVILLE, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, USAR Soldiers leave lasting impression on Polish community, by SGT Kayla Benson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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