National Guard unit hits two birds with one stone

MIELENKO DRAWSKIE, Poland -- In this peaceful, quaint Polish town, you'll find a small road leading to a soccer field where you expect to see the local school children running and playing.

However, the town and the soccer field was filled with children, mostly there to meet and learn from Polish and American soldiers.

Illinois National Guard soldiers from the 44th Chemical Battalion, visited Mielenko Drawskie to meet and connect with the local community and also to participate in joint simulated training alongside their Polish Army counterparts, June 9, 2016.

The soldiers were in the town as part of Exercise Anakonda 2016, a Polish-led, multinational exercise running from June 7-17.

These National Guard troops were able to use the joint simulated training to their advantage by working on two important competencies: their specific chemical decontamination skills, and also their communication skills with the local community, said Capt. Nicholas Kresinski, commander of the 445th Chemical Company with the 44th Chemical Battalion, out of Murphysboro, Illinois.

"Today is important training because we're able to cross train with our Polish counterparts to sharpen our domestic civilian response skills and also learn to build relationships with the local community around us," said Kresinski.

Krzesinski, a native of Chatham, Illinois, said he believes his soldiers will benefit from their international experience.

"Our soldiers are here in a live exercise where they can utilize our green Army equipment in real situations while also learning about the capabilities of our polish counterparts," said Krzesinski.

The Polish Army members involved in the exercise agreed with the benefits of joint training.

Lt. Dariusz Golofit, from the Polish Army's 5th Chemical Regiment, said he has enjoyed working with the American soldiers who are all very nice and welcoming.

"The live training in Mielenko Drawskie has helped improve the U.S. Army's interoperability with the Polish soldiers", said Spc. Sam Malone, a chemical operations specialist with the 44th Chemical Battalion. He also emphasized that he had not travelled abroad before so the opportunity to interact with the civilian community at the soccer field allowed him to learn about a different culture.

"It's not just about training here," Malone said. "It's about meeting people and getting to know the other countries and that's probably been the best experience I've had so far."

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