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Strengthening NATO through storytelling: 70th MPAD concludes Europe rotation
By Sgt. Rachel Hall
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Eight Missouri Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 70th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment have returned home after their overseas deployment in support of U.S. Army operations in Europe, August 18, 2025.
The team deployed in October 2024 and spent the duration of their mission supporting U.S. Army Europe and Africa, specifically V Corps, the 1st Armored Division, and the 1st Cavalry Division. MPAD soldiers operated throughout Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, telling the story of U.S. soldiers training alongside NATO partners in some of the Army's largest multinational exercises.
The 70th MPAD faced frost-bitten winds and summer-peak temperatures amid summertime fields as they captured photos, videos, and wrote powerful stories of readiness and interoperability with our European partners. Since leaving their families last fall, tanks, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery platforms, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles firing rounds, became a familiar sight for the team as they supported major NATO military exercises including Confidence 2024, Combined Resolve 25-01 and 25-02, Verboom, Crystal Arrow, Hedgehog (Siil 25), Brave Boar 25 and Baltic Viking to name a few.
Over the course of the deployment, the team published over 824 products to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service and their products received over 5,400
downloads, with over 1,400 placements across the Department of Defense, several U.S. Embassy sites, and international news agencies.
“The 70th MPAD set a tremendous bar with their professionalism and skill,” said Col. Michael Weisman, Public Affairs Director for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “These Citizen Soldiers are impressive communicators; they were critical to our ability to inform U.S. and international audiences about the work that’s being accomplished by our forces here in this theater.”
The unit also played a critical role in the response following the tragic deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Lithuania. Tasked with providing timely and accurate public information, the MPAD worked directly with the 1st Armored Division and the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania to keep the public informed during a period of grief and uncertainty. “The 70th MPAD did an incredible job explaining why the recovery efforts were so complex and communicating all the resources and tremendous work going into finding and recovering our fallen Soldiers,” said Weisman. “Their work was critical to keeping families and friends of those Soldiers informed, as well as the U.S and Lithuanian public.”
Personal milestones also marked the deployment. Spc. Trevor Wilson and Spc. Rachel Hall were promoted to the rank of Sergeant and welcomed to the Corps of the Noncommissioned Officers. Their promotion ceremony was held atop the Hill of Three Crosses in Vilnius, Lithuania surrounded by every member of the team. Also at this ceremony, four soldiers, Staff Sgt. Christopher Saunders, Staff Sgt. Joseph Novak, Staff
Sgt. Alexa Di Trolio and Sgt. Wilson were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for their efforts supporting the recovery of the four 1st Armored Division soldiers near Pabrade, Lithuania. Staff Sgt. Novak, Staff Sgt. Di Trolio and Sgt. Hall were also recognized for their impact through increased media coverage of U.S. Army operations in Estonia, with Army Commendation Medals. Their work in telling the story of Task Force Voit's mission in supporting the Estonian Defence Force as they prepared to take possession of their new HIMARS was invaluable.
From documenting combat training, Transformation in Contact 2.0 (the Army’s initiative to rapidly integrate new technologies by focusing on experimentation and feedback from soldiers in the field), to supporting strategic communication with NATO allies, the 70th MPAD completed its mission with professionalism and pride. They returned home with not only thousands of published products, but also a renewed commitment to telling the Army story.
To view the 70th MPAD’s photos, videos, and stories from the deployment, visit their DVIDS page at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/70MPAD.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2025 21:46 |
| Story ID: | 547413 |
| Location: | JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Strengthening NATO through storytelling: 70th MPAD concludes Europe rotation By Sgt. Rachel Hall, by SGT Rachel Hall, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
