Michigan citizen Soldiers were taken on a cultural tour of Latvian castles, deer sanctuary, children's camp and Baltic amusement park by the Latvian Armed Forces Chief of Chaplains, Elmars Plavins on June 2, 2014.
Joining Plavins for this cultural day were staff Sgt. Frederick Frye, Spc. Zach Plotzke, Spc. Kory Krosowski and Spc. Seth Killebrew of the Michigan Army National Guard Unmanned Aerial Surveillance platoon, B Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 37th Brigade Combat Team. went on a tour of a Latvian children's camp and deer farm, castles and amusement parks hosted by.
Chaplain Plavins served as both guide and chauffeur for the UAS platoon Soldiers. Plavins said, "I want the American Soldiers to see the many sides of Latvian life. We are an ancient people with a distinct culture and long history, yet we still like to have fun. We appreciate the family life, natural scenery and bountiful food God gave us and I wanted the Americans to experience this, too."
The first stop for the UAS Soldiers was the Dimantu Kalns children's camp and deer farm. The camp, owned by Peteris Dimants, has a variety of animals ranging from ostriches to hares that visitors can view and in some cases, feed. Dimants gave a tour of the camp and animals; he also had Spc. Kory Krosowski assume the role of a deer and enter a capture device to show how deer are secured after being selected for sale. Krosowski said, "I liked the deer farm, most of my relatives are rural and it brought back memories of home."
The next stop for the Soldier-tourists was the "Tarzans" adventure park. The Soldiers took the opportunity to ride the toboggan track and chairlift rides. Staff Sgt. Frederick Frye and Krosowski put their archery and marksmanship skills to the test, trying longbow and paintball guns at a shooting booth.
Plavins took the tour in a medieval direction; the Soldiers were shown the Livonian Order castle in Sigulda and the Turaida castle. The Livonian Order castle has a room where visitors can try on armor and handle medieval weaponry. Frye said, "I tried on chain mail armor and a medieval helmet. The woven undervest you put on first weighed more than a modern Improved Outer Tactical Vest and the chain mail felt like it weighed 60 pounds! I found the castle tours interesting because my heritage is European and I had ancestors who lived in similar conditions. Their lives were interesting, but I'm glad I live in the 21st century because most medieval people were serfs bound to their lords and they lived very demanding lives."
Plavins included a lunch stop with the tour; the Soldiers were taken to the Ramkalni amusement park and restaurant where they dined on traditional Latvian food, such as kartupelu pankuka, potato pancakes. Spc. Seth Killebrew said, "Many of the Latvian people who saw us recognized that we were American Soldiers and were generous to us. In some cases, we were offered free rides and that made me feel very appreciated. I appreciate Chaplain Plavins taking the time to take us around and have a day outing away from the job. We got to unwind, experience Latvian culture and have some fun on amusement park rides. Today was a great day."
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