BRISBANE, Australia - July 4th is an important holiday in the United States where families and friends come together and celebrate U.S. Independence. For approximately 300 I Corps Soldiers, they spent the day celebrating with their Australian counterparts prior to the start of Exercise Talisman Sabre 15.
To help the U.S. forces celebrate, the host country prepared a barbeque, both as a way to show their appreciation for the U.S. holiday and to welcome them to Australia.
"We know the 4th of July is important," said Australian Maj. Steve Young, camp commandant, 1st Signal Regiment, 1st Division. "Some of us have worked with U.S. forces in the past and wanted to do something a little more special than just another meal in the [dining facility]."
The Australian chefs decided on the menu for the barbeque, added Young. They went out and bought some special meat to grill and added more flavor to the various salads to help make this barbeque feel more like home for the U.S. Soldiers.
Lt. Col. Ben Bird, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Commander, expressed his gratitude for the event.
"Our counterparts hosted the barbeque to bring us all together for a chance to learn more about the local customs and culture while enjoying some amazing Australian food," he said.
Other I Corps Soldiers continued to express their appreciation to the Australian chefs during the barbeque.
"The barbeque was about reciprocation," Young said, "showing we are keen to having them here sets the scene for the next few weeks."
The barbeque was the second opportunity for U.S. and Australian soldiers to create and build friendships before the exercise since landing in Brisbane. The first was a social gathering designed for both forces to meet with their counterparts and introduce themselves in a positive environment followed by dinner the previous night.
"I have spent time with U.S. Soldiers during other exercises," said Young. "I was blown away by the hospitality when I visited them and this is just a small way to repay the favor. It also sets us up well to work together for the next few weeks."
Talisman Sabre 15 is a biennial exercise, consisting of U.S. and Australian forces. It is the sixth iteration of Talisman Sabre with a contingent of 30,000 participants. I Corps is using Talisman Sabre as a certification exercise to validate as a Combined Forces Land Component Command.
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