Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Kelvin Ringold | Leesville, Virginia native and vocalist for the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus pumps...... read more read more
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GDYNIA, Poland — Sometimes in life, different barriers complicate the communication efforts between people. There is one thing known universally to transcend those barriers, however, and it’s called music.
The U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus rocked the roof off of the Grom Theater March 3. As USAEUR, U.S. Europe Command and the Army as a whole continues preparing for DEFENDER-Europe 20, the band continued their Army Outreach Goodwill tour in support of the exercise.
DEFENDER-Europe 20 is a joint, multinational training exercise scheduled to take place from April to late May, while the tour is scheduled to run from Feb. 28–March 12.
While communities around Poland and the joint operations area will continue to see the increased movements of U.S. and NATO Soldiers and equipment through July 2020, the tour serves as entertainment and a means to inform the community.
Sgt. 1st Class Travis Stafford, 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, and their local Civil-Military Co-operation partner, Ppor. Adam Krzemiński, Preparation Center for Foreign Missions, work together out of Bemowo Piskie Training Area.
They were crucial in coordinating the band locations across the region and Stafford has been impressed with the results.
“The community has come out to see the Soldiers perform and also learn about DEFENDER,” Stafford said. “Helping the community understand the exercise has been a top priority for us.”
Sgt. Joel Mauricio, drummer, U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus, has been with the band for two years, and realizes the unique opportunity these performances will give them.
“They will help us foster great relationships with the neighboring countries that will be a part of DEFENDER,” Mauricio said. “We get to give good vibes, send positive views of the Army across Europe and all through music.”
Lt. Col. Andrew Gallo, Commander, 3rd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, Forward Presence Battle Group Poland, was in attendance and spoke to the community members and leaders about what to expect during the exercise, and was appreciative at the response.
“None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our counterparts at the Polish Ministry of Defense, the Polish Armed Forces and then you the people of Poland,” Gallo explained. “Thank you for your support of our Soldiers and the tremendous support of the NATO alliance.”
Already on their fourth stop on the tour, singer, Spc. Brianna Richardson, was eager to get out on stage.
“The crowd loves us and loves all the rock songs,” Richardson said. “It’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed it.”
Portland,Oregon native and keyboardist, Sgt. Daniil Pavlenko, also looked forward to performing for the community.
“The crowds have been very energetic and we’ve had a warm welcome everywhere we’ve gone,” Pavlenko said. “The crowds love the really hard-hitting rock tunes we do.”
As this band of seven Soldiers continues on this inspirational tour, guitarist Spc. Ben Pennington, can feel their bond growing stronger with each performance.
“We’ve been fortunate to be together the last 18 months and that doesn’t always happen,” Pennington said. “We gel well on stage and feed off each other’s energy.”
With half of the band changing duty stations after the tour, this serves as their victory lap and doing it on a world stage is unforgettable.
“You can tell they appreciate us being at the shows,” Pennington said. ”It’s the best way to connect different cultures.”
After the band came out for a curtain call to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Capt. Robert Szymanivk, Commanding Officer, Polish Navy Support Squadron, thanked them for what the band did for those in the community.
“It was a great evening for us,” Szymanivk said. “We are grateful you spent this time with us.”
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2020 00:59 |
| Story ID: | 364418 |
| Location: | GDYNIA, PL |
| Web Views: | 411 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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