21st TSC Soldiers share experiences with German students in Brandenburg

Photo By Brittany Jones | Sgt. Thalik McDaniel and Pvt. Denise Bell share why they joined the U.S. Military with local Brandenburg high school students during a meet and greet session in Brandenburg, Germany June 29.  

BRANDENBURG, BE, GERMANY

07.03.2018

Story by Brittany Jones 

21st Theater Sustainment Command

BRANDENBURG, Germany – Saber Strike 2018, living in Germany, and joining the military right after high school, were some of the topics Soldiers from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command discussed with German high school students during a visit to Von Saldern Gymnasium in Brandenburg, Germany June 29th.

Brandenburg’s Lord Mayor Steffen Scheller invited Team 21’s Deputy Commanding Officer, Col. William Galbraith, and Sgt. Thalik McDaniel and Pvt. Denise Bell, 21st TSC, for a meet and greet with students of Brandenburg High School’s exchange program to learn about life in the military and how the United States collaborates with Germany through the NATO alliance.

Students shared what their plans were after graduating high school and asked the Soldiers about their experiences joining the military and being stationed overseas in a foreign country. “I was really surprise by the level of questions the students asked,” Bell said. “I mean, I was literally in their seats last year, just graduating high school and I was not interested in government or military relations.”

Brandenburg is Kaiserslautern’s sister city. As a result, the Brandenburg students learned how Kaiserslautern, home to the 21st TSC and other NATO military personnel, serves a significant role supporting joint military exercises such as Saber Strike 2018, while also facilitating logistics operations supporting Atlantic Resolve.

“It is important to see our Nations come together, training together and support each other,” Galbraith said following one of the students questions about NATO. After the meet and greet, students and Soldiers were invited to tour the Lord Mayor’s office where they were given a brief history lesson on the town of Brandenburg followed by a lunch reception.

“The students really opened up when we met for lunch,” McDaniel said. “Once they warmed up and starting talking, I think the students and myself realized we have more in common than we expected. They wanted to know more about us as a U.S. citizen living in Germany rather than us as a Soldier which was surprising.”

Impressed with the student’s level of engagement, Galbraith closed out the session thanking the students for their open dialog and willingness to learn more about the U.S. military mission in Germany. “Opportunities like these help tell the Army’s story and our personal journey of how we ended up here in Europe. The military is diverse but once we start communicating with one another, you might be surprised to see that we have more things in common than expected.”

• Date Taken: 07.03.2018
• Date Posted: 07.03.2018 06:37
• Story ID: 283152
• Location: BRANDENBURG, BE, DE