Michigan Army National Guard Pvt. Joshua Pannebecker, a 15W unmanned aircraft systems operator,has his first day on the job with his unit, Unmanned Aerial Surveillance platoon, B Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 37th Brigade Combat Team at ...

Michigan Army National Guard Pvt. Joshua Pannebecker, a 15W unmanned aircraft systems operator,has his first day on the job with his unit, Unmanned Aerial Surveillance platoon, B Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 37th Brigade Combat Team at ...

Michigan Army National Guard Pvt. Joshua Pannebecker, a 15W unmanned aircraft systems operator,has his first day on the job with his unit, Unmanned Aerial Surveillance platoon, B Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 37th Brigade Combat Team at ...

Michigan Army National Guard Pvt. Joshua Pannebecker, a 15W unmanned aircraft systems operator walks the runway at Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia on May 23, 2014.

Pannebecker is practicing flight flight procedures before the start of exercises Namejs, Fl...

LIELVARDE, Latvia -- Pvt. Joshua Pannebecker, a 15W unmanned aircraft systems operator, joined his unit, the Michigan Army National Guard Unmanned Aerial Surveillance platoon, B Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 37th Brigade Combat Team and inprocessed with them on May 23, 2014 in Eastern Europe.

Pannebecker's inprocessing was not the typical new Soldier's arrival on a drill weekend, his unit is on Title 10 orders at Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia. Pannebecker had to fly approximately 4,500 air miles to join his unit in Latvia.

Pannebecker said, "I enlisted on Jan 13, 2014 and shipped for basic training on July 13, 2014. My Advanced Individual Training lasted from October-April 2014. I knew my unit was slated to go on an exercise, but didn't have all the information until returning from AIT on April 16, 2014. Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Huck filled me in on the details when I attended the unit mobilization. I was excited to be participating in an overseas exercise as my first training event with my unit, definitely not a typical unit drill at the home station armory!"

Pannebecker said, "I wasn't able to leave with the main body of the UAS platoon, they flew on military aircraft, and since I was flying civilian, I needed a passport, so I had to wait for that to be processed. I flew with Staff Sgt. Jonathan LeCureux and Spc Drew Wagner, we arrived in Riga, Latvia via Detroit, had stopovers in Newark, N.J. and Frankfurt, Germany. Today is my first full day in Latvia and on the bus from Ogre, Latvia to Lielvarde Air Base, I couldn't help but notice how green and rural this part of Latvia is. It seems as if every home has a large garden and greenhouse."

Pannebecker isn't the first member of his immediate family to serve in the Army overseas. Pannebecker said, "My dad, Brian, encouraged me to join the Michigan Army National Guard. He served in the U.S. Army in the early 80s, was stationed in Germany and enjoyed his overseas military service. When I told him my unit was going to Latvia, he was excited for me, because the military is drawing down and trips to Europe aren't as frequent as they were during his time in the Army. My mother, Noreen, was a little nervous about me going so far away, after she had a better grasp of our mission, mom felt better about me going to Latvia."

Pannebecker said, "I have 100 hours of simulator and 30 hours of flight time from AIT. I'm going to work on getting enough flight time to achieve Readiness Level 1, which is the highest proficiency level you can be as a 15 W and this exercise gives me the opportunity to do this. It's great that I'm being immersed in my Military Occupation Specialty right after AIT, this will keep my skill sets sharp. To top it off, I get to see some of Europe as well!"