Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | A Moldovan Army leader, right, and North Carolina National Guard Soldiers March at the...... read more read more
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BULBOACA TRAINING AREA, MOLDOVA – North Carolina National Guard Soldiers flew out of Pope Army Airfield for deployment to Moldova on 10, Sept. 2016 for international exercise “Fire Shield 2016”. The exercise hosted by Moldova invited U.S. and Romanian forces for a two-week long training event to improve interoperability and familiarization.
“It helps us work together on the same task if we need to,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin Adcock, a targeting officer with the NCNG’s 1st Battalion, 113th Field Artillery Regiment.
The day began early for Soldiers of 113th and 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment at Pope Army Airfield at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Noncommissioned officers checked and rechecked load plans and manning rosters. After the last equipment is loaded, the Soldiers march to the waiting West Virginia National Guard C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft for the several thousand-mile flight to Chisinau, Moldova.
They sat along benches in the huge aircraft filled with radar, vehicles, generators, trailers, and gear for the exercise. Their long flight arrived with the dawn of Sept. 11 at the Chisinau airport. After landing, chains securing the vehicles are removed as the Soldiers drove off the aircraft in route to their hosts at Bulboaca Training Area.
The convoy passed through the rolling hills of the countryside past numerous farms and vineyards. They soon arrive at the Moldovan base.
A flurry of handshakes, salutes and greetings met the Soldiers as they move into their barracks. Moldovan recruits help offload the Soldiers gear as Moldovan officers plan the next days training with unit leaders.
The next morning the NCNG Soldiers joined their Moldovan peers at an official welcoming ceremony. Each stand at attention and on command in unison they march past the flagpoles flying each nation’s colors.
“It is motivating to see forces join together, they are very professional,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kellen Van Able, a platoon sergeant with B Co., 113th FAR.
New friends made, Moldovan and NCNG leaders toured the countryside meeting with local officials to coordinate the finale of the two week exercise, a coordinated live fire of Moldovan crews using the lessons learned from their two weeks
“I have read their (Moldovan) history, this is very exciting,” said Van Able.
Fire Shield 2016 is a multinational exercise intended to train combined, small unit and artillery units with more than 300 participants from three countries, Moldova, Romania and the United States.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2016 10:37 |
| Story ID: | 209700 |
| Location: | MD |
| Web Views: | 633 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NC Guard Soldiers Deploy To Moldova for Multinational Exercise “Fire Shield 2016”, by SFC Robert Jordan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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