US, Romanian troops host Children's Day celebration

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania -Soldiers from Task Force 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment hosted Romanian school-children with a display of military equipment and vehicles in a Children's Day celebration at Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport, Romania on March 24, 2017.

The event was the second that Task Force 1-8 IN hosted this week, and with the success of the first they welcomed the new school-children with great anticipation and open arms. Pfc. Khasim Halawani, a cavalry scout with the task force, described the feelings of many of the Soldiers that participated in the event.

"We work pretty hard so, it's nice to do something like this. Meeting new people is what this is all about," he said

The event was a rare opportunity for U.S. troops to interact with the Romanian public. It gave parents, educators, and children the chance to see what U.S. Soldiers are doing in their country as well as observing Romanian and U.S. forces working closely together as Allies.

The U.S. and Romanian forces work together as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a NATO mission between the U.S. and its European Allies to enhance international relationships as well as to deter aggression in Europe. 2nd Lt. Rachel Basset, a medical officer with Task Force 1-8 IN, spoke on how important an event like this can be for all involved.

"This is beneficial to Operation Atlantic Resolve because it lets the soldiers and the public create some strong relationships," she said.

Soldiers hosted many vehicle displays including a M1A2 Abrams tank, a UH-60 Black Hawk, and an Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma, all of which the children were able to get inside of and take pictures.

Some of the other activities included medical stations, where the children learned to properly bandage arms and legs, and a body armor station, where children donned protective helmets and vests, as well as camouflage face paint.

Organizers of the event were pleased with the turnout and response from the children, and current plans call for a similar event to be held in June.

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U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.