WEISBADEN, Germany - National Guard public affairs Soldiers from Illinois and Pennsylvania joined forces to augment U.S. Army Europe support Operation Atlantic Resolve, a series of exercises designed to demonstrate U.S. commitment to its NATO commitments and the collective security of America's allies and partners in Europe.
Public affairs Soldiers help tell the armed forces story through print, photographic and video coverage of U.S. military exercises, programs, people and events, and by facilitating members of the commercial media in their military coverage. The Guard Soldiers who deployed to Europe in mid-September were formed into teams that immediately spread out across five countries. Soldiers in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland supported companies from USAREUR's 173rd Airborne Brigade, while the Soldiers in Germany split into two teams: a command cell supporting the USAREUR headquarters here, and a team at the Joint Multinational Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area.
Guard Soldiers quickly began creating print and broadcast stories featuring their active-duty counterparts training with European partner forces and service members and citizens from the NATO and partner nations taking part in Atlantic Resolve. Additionally many of the public affairs troops were able to take part in cultural and community events in the regions where they deployed.
Illinois' 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment took on missions in Poland and Estonia. Their support to training in Poland is a natural offshoot of the Illinois National Guard's State Partnership Program relationship with the country. Based at Poland's Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, the Illinois team's mission wasn't all about military training, but focused on community relations as well.
"A large piece of our public affairs mission here in Poland is community relations. The Drawsko Pomorskie community leaders have made this part of our job an absolute pleasure. I have never felt as welcomed to a community as I have here in Drawsko Pomorskie," said Capt. Darrell Melrose of the 139th, the team leader for Poland.
The Pennsylvania Guard's state partnership is with Lithuania, so Soldiers from the Keystone State's 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, 213th Regional Support Group were on hand to cover combined exercises involving Lithunanian soldiers and the paratroopers of the 173rd.
"It's been a great experience working with both the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Lithuanian 'Iron Wolf' Mechanized Infantry Brigade. It's been a lot of fun to see how they operate in their own country, compared to training at Fort Indiantown Gap (in) Pennsylvania," said Staff Sgt. Mathew Keeler, the 109th's team leader for Lithuania.
The Illinois and Pennsylvania units are the second rotation of Guard Soldiers providing support to USAREUR's public affairs efforts. While their turn in Europe was brief, the overall mission is expected to last at least through the end of the year and will ultimately involve more than 10 rotations involving Guard and Reserve units from multiple states.
Maj. Angela King-Sweigart, commander of the 109th, said her unit's experience proved beneficial for both the Guard members and their active-duty counterparts.
"The Soldiers did an outstanding job producing dozens of stories and videos about the NATO troops and the U.S. Soldiers. We were fortunate to have this experience supporting U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs, the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Joint Multinational Training Command, and hopefully we've given something back," she said.
"Telling the Operation Atlantic Resolve story is critical to the mission's success," said Lt. Col. Craig S. Childs, U.S. Army Europe's Public Affairs Chief of Operations. "Without the outstanding support of the Pennsylvania and Illinois Army National Guard Public Affairs Soldiers we would have been unable to capture the key images and storylines about this very important mission in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland."
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