BAUMHOLDER, Germany — Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment have passed the halfway point of their deployment here in support of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe.
While this marks a milestone in their deployment, unit leaders say the Soldiers remain focused on maintaining readiness, strengthening interoperability and finishing the deployment with the same expertise and professionalism they’ve displayed since leaving home station in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, at the end of last year.
The MPAD Soldiers mobilized late 2025 following a culminating training event at Fort Indiantown Gap, where they provided photo, video and news coverage of various Pennsylvania National Guard training events while facilitating media engagements. They executed this training under the watchful eye of First Army observer coach/trainers, who are tasked with evaluating and validating units before deployment. The unit carried the lessons learned during that validation directly into their current deployment.
Navigating a deployment of this importance requires dedicated oversight. Maj. Travis Mueller, commander of the 109th MPAD, and 1st Sgt. HollyAnn Nicom, senior enlisted leader of the 109th MPAD, have both guided Soldiers through the complexities of the deployment.
“I’m most proud of how our Soldiers have responded to the various challenges thrown at us so far,” Mueller said. “Deploying just before Christmas Day, the challenge of being away from home for so long, and working within the sensitivities associated with special operations forces, our Soldiers have shown up with first-class professionalism and have been 100% committed to the mission. At this point we’ve statistically achieved growth for SOCEUR in terms of content creation and reach, and still have a few months to go.”
While the missions have varied, one constant has been the team's growth through every challenge.
“During this deployment, the team dynamic of the MPAD has improved as we learned to work closely together and rely on each other to accomplish missions,” Nicom said. “We have many unique opportunities for our public affairs skills here in Europe due to the nature of the missions and the products we generate are vastly different than what we experience during our typical home-station training in Pennsylvania. Creating products in this high-visibility environment takes daily synchronization, quick turnaround times and precise attention to detail to really elevate our content, which has been a learning experience for us all.”
Since arriving in theater, the unit has documented numerous training events, supported multinational exercises and worked alongside NATO Allies and partner nations. Early in the rotation, the Soldiers documented a demanding event, which was SOCEUR’s first involvement in a Deep Strike exercise.
"Covering Deep Strike in the middle of a snowstorm really put us to the test,” said Sgt. Glenn Brennan, a mass communications specialist with the 109th MPAD. “The Green Berets faced difficult conditions, and we had to adapt right alongside them to tell their story."
During the exercise Green Berets avoided detection while they conducted a 150-kilometer infiltration through harsh winter conditions to employ unmanned aerial systems for precision strikes and resupply missions.
"Covering Deep Strike meant more than just taking photos. We drove through muddy trails and snow-covered roads through an active training area while coordinating around another exercise,” Brennan said. “Those conditions challenged us as public affairs Soldiers and made us more confident operating in complex environments."
Exercise Trojan Footprint, the largest special operations forces exercise in Europe, required the Soldiers to cover simultaneous missions across seven countries. From the Baltics to the Balkans, the team documented missions while adapting to unfamiliar terrain and the unique challenges of working alongside multinational SOF.
Over the course of the deployment, the MPAD covered a diverse array of missions including Exercises Deep Strike I and II, Exercise Trojan Footprint 26, the International Special Training Center Sniper Course, the Combined Arms Operations Digital Enablers Course and various airborne static-line and freefall jumps.
They captured images and videos of community and historical events, including the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, the German-American Friendship Festival, Fourth of July and America 250 celebrations, multiple Preservation of the Force and Family events, 10th Special Forces Group farewell ceremony at Panzer Kaserne, and the Master Sgt. Micheal B. Riley Fitness Center dedication.
Each of the 109th MPAD missions highlighted aspects of SOCEUR’s strengthened interoperability with NATO allies and partners, enhanced collective readiness and reinforced regional stability.
Although the deployment has required extended time away from home, MPAD Soldiers have maintained high standards of discipline while supporting one another. Recently, the unit celebrated a professional milestone, the promotion of Zane Craig from sergeant first class to master sergeant. Craig, who worked as a liaison with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-10 for the first half of the deployment, noted the importance of his assignment.
“Working at CJSOTF-10 was an interesting and enriching experience," Craig said. "I had the opportunity to work closely with liaisons from our allied nations and get to know some of them while gaining a broad view of our operational environment in Europe in support of the SOCEUR public affairs mission.”
The deployment also marked a shift in focus towards social media content creation and management. Staff Sgt. Melyssa Vazquez, serving as SOCEUR's social media liaison, managed her team while coordinating with internal components and monitoring analytics. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Vazquez competed in the annual 5150 Ironman triathlon in Kraichgau, Germany.
“I’ve always made work-life balance a priority because taking care of myself and making time for the things I enjoy allows me to show up as a better Soldier and NCO,” Vazquez said. “Maintaining that balance helps me stay motivated, resilient and effective in my role. Our command team also supported that by incorporating physical training into our duty day and encouraging Soldiers to take advantage of their free time to travel and recharge, reinforcing the importance of overall wellbeing.”
While the Soldiers executed these missions, the detachment's senior personnel worked behind the scenes to ensure seamless operational support. From managing complex logistical requirements to ensuring every Soldier had the necessary equipment and resources, their leadership allowed the creative team to remain focused on storytelling.
“By standardizing our planning process and establishing clear lines of communication early, we built a highly repeatable workflow,” Capt. Christopher Booker, a public affairs officer with the 109th MPAD, said. “Each mission sharpened our ability to ask the right operational questions, allowing us to deploy creators faster, target key strategic themes, and continuously elevate the quality of our theater-wide coverage.”
With months of experience behind them and the remainder of the deployment ahead, the Soldiers continue to demonstrate resilience, adaptability and commitment to the mission. As they transition into the final phase of their deployment, the detachment is ready to continue supporting operations and strengthening partnerships across Europe.
Since arriving to Europe, the 109th MPAD has uploaded 891 images, 30 videos and 12 news stories to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. This productivity has resulted in 5106 downloads by the general public including by news outlets, magazines, higher headquarters social media and other publications.