HOHENFELS, Germany -- On June 26, Lt. Col. Barry Carlson, Commander of 1st Bn. 4th Infantry Regt. and his Command Sergeant Major, CSM Robin Bolmer visited Romanian Land Forces near in Babagag Training Area on the Black Sea to present a very special award on behalf of the United States Army.
The Army Commendation Medal was accepted by Lt. Col. Ovidiu Lungu, Commander of the Romanian 2nd Infantry Battalion on behalf of Sgt. 1st Class Adrian Leu, who died on Sep. 12th, 2014 while training his soldiers for combat at the U.S. Army's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany.
On Sep 12, 2014, Sgt. 1st Class Leu paid the ultimate sacrifice in a vehicle accident while training during Exercise Saber Junction. Leu was with his company, the 1st Infantry Company, 2nd Infantry
Battalion "Calugareni", and partnered with JMRC's opposing forces (OPFOR) from 1st Bn. 4th Infantry Regt. His loss was a sobering reminder of the dangers that one can face even during training exercises.
To honor Sgt. 1st Class Leu, JMRC placed a cross at the accident site, and his unit placed a plaque in the same location. JMRC then held a post-wide memorial ceremony for their fallen Ally.
However, the committment of the 1-4 Soldiers to SFC Leu did not end with the rotation. Lt. Col Carlson and CSM Bolmer attended his funeral in Romania, and shepherded the posthumous ARCOM through the lengthy process associated with awarding U.S. medals to foreign soldiers. When the award was finally approved in April of this year, Lt. Col. Carlson knew he had to "go to Romania and present (Lt. Col. Lungu) with the award face to face".
Lt. Col. Carlson and CSM Bolmer feel like their actions are inherent in the American operating method. "I like to think that what we did, anyone else would do", said CSM Bolmer. "If a 1-4 Soldier died today, we would do the same thing we did for Sgt. 1st Class Leu".
During the ceremony, Leu's fiancé was on hand to also receive the posthumous award. Immediately after that ceremony, CSM Bolmer was awarded the Romanian Emblem "Partner for Defense, 3rd Class Medal" and Lt. Col. Carlson was awarded the Romanian "Emblem of Honor" for continued commitment to partnership with the Romanian Land Forces.
The dedication of Carlson and Bolmer signify the strong bond between their battalion and the Romanian Land Forces. After partnered deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and multiple partnered events at Hohenfels between the Romanian Army and JMRC.
Ultimately, the presentation of this posthumous award serves to remind all Soldiers that Sgt. 1st Class Leu's dedication to the NATO Alliance will never be forgotten, and that the bond of trust between two allies has been made stronger by his sacrifice.
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