Vicenza, Italy --The U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza hosted both the U.S. Army Europe commander and the Installation Management Command Europe's region director Feb. 24 to meet with Soldiers, senior leadership and workforce leaders, as well as tour garrison facilities.
USAREUR Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges spent the day on visiting Ederle and Del Din facilities receiving an update on the state of the garrison and viewing ongoing preparations by the 173rd Airborne Brigade for its scheduled training mission in western Ukraine.
Before the series of briefings and demonstrations that comprised most of his visit, Hodges along with IMCOM-E Region Director Richard Formica, presented awards and coins to several members of the community.
"USAG Vicenza is not a great place to live and work because we want it to", Hodges said about awardees that represented a cross section of the Vicenza military community. "It happens because there are great men and women who are committed to making it happen."
The awards session and briefing were followed up by a visit with the 173rd Airborne Brigade where viewed a demonstration of the unit's preparation for its scheduled training mission in western Ukraine.
Addressing the Soldiers as they prepare the Ukraine mission, Hodges emphasized the important role the brigade plays in enabling the NATO Alliance through multinational exercises.
"When you train in all these exercises with your allies, you build relationships," he said, referring to the brigade's participation in exercises such as Operation Atlantic Resolve and the upcoming Swift Response and Saber Junction. "It is U.S. Army Europe's contribution to Europe on behalf of the Army, NATO and all the components that we support."
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