WIESBADEN, Germany -- Soldiers from the German Armed Force's Hessen State Command who recently qualified with U.S. weapons received their marksmanship badges at a ceremony Feb. 23 at the 5th Signal Command headquarters on Clay Kaserne.
A total of 14 Germans qualified on M16 rifle and M9 pistol ranges at Wackernheim in December 2014 and January 2015 respectively. The ranges were run by Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Signal Command, and were part of a longstanding partnership between the command, the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden and the Hessen State Command.
Col. Jimmy L. Hall Jr., commander of 5th Signal Command, presented the marksmanship badges to the German Soldiers. He said the range was a great example of just one of the ways 5th Signal Command is working with our German allies to build a Strong Europe.
"This is a part of enabling the alliance. It's all about trust, relationships and it's all about respect, and events like this build all three of those," Hall said.
Brig. Gen. Eckart Klink, commander of the Hessen State Command, said the range was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together and learn from each other.
"It is about getting to know each other in a better way, because we are all allies and we're all fighting the same war, if need be," Klink said.
Klink described the relationship between the U.S. and German forces as one based not only on mutual trust and confidence, but on professional cooperation as well.
"The 5th Signal Command is a very important player in the community, and we stand ready to continuously support 5th Signal in their presence here in the area," he said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Harry Mercado, 5th Signal Command and Command Sgt. Maj. Roy Rocco, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden also participated in the presentation of the badges.
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The 5th Signal Command's mission is to build, operate and defend network capabilities to enable mission command and create tactical, operational, and strategic flexibility for Army, Joint and Multi-national forces in the EUCOM and AFRICOM areas of responsibility.
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