Fighting Eagles prepare to train with Romanian forces

By Pvt. Nicholas VidroApril 10, 2017

Fighting Eagles prepare to train with Romanian forces
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Romanian Col. Cornel Scrut (right), deputy commander of the 282nd Mechanized Brigade, and Romanian Lt. Col. Ilie Melinte (left), commander of the 300th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, salute both Romanian and US flags as they are raised during an open... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fighting Eagles prepare to train with Romanian forces
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – US Army Maj. Michael Harrison (left), operations officer for Task Force 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, and Romanian Col. Cornel Scrut (right), deputy commander of the 282nd Mechanized Brigade speak after an opening ceremony at Smardan Training... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fighting Eagles prepare to train with Romanian forces
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – US and Romanian soldiers raise their respective flags at an opening ceremony at Smardan Training Area, Romania on April 10, 2017. Both flags were raised to show the unity of both nations as they embark on a combined training mission for Operation Atl... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SMARDAN TRAINING AREA, Romania -The US Army has come to Romania to train with Allies, and give soldiers from both countries the chance to share experiences and grow into a cohesive fighting force should the need ever arise. These efforts let US, NATO Allies and partners know they are not alone in struggles they may face and that America will stand with them. In a show of that resolve US soldiers from the Task Force 1st Infantry Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment attended an opening ceremony at Smardan Training Area, Romania on April 10, 2017.

The opening ceremony served as an introduction between the 1st Bn., 8th Inf. Reg., and the Romanian 282nd Mechanized Brigade, namely the 284th Armored Battalion, 285th Artillery Battalion, and 300th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, setting the stage for future training together.

Operations like this are a regular feature of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a NATO mission between the US and its Allies and partners to enhance regional stability and promote peace. The opening ceremony only bolstered the unity between the nations, giving both sides a chance to share a moment of camaraderie before diving into training.

Deputy Commander of the 282nd, Romanian Col. Cornel Scrut, expressed his sentiments on the occasion.

"It's an excellent opportunity to have you all here, to train shoulder to shoulder to demonstrate and communicate our partnership and solidarity," he said.

The aforementioned battalions will be training directly with each other in a few different exercises, as well as living side by side. This embodies the "train as you fight" mentality expressed by both sides and mentioned by Scrut in his speech during the ceremony.

Both sides are ready to share experiences in the coming months. Romanian Maj. Remus Taranu, Chief-of-Staff of the the 284th expressed his thoughts on what his troops can take away from the training.

"Part of our battalion has already been trained to fight alongside our US counterparts, but not all of them, so this is a very good opportunity for them to learn to train cohesively with our NATO Allies," he said.

On the American side, many of the troops are ready to hit the ground running when it comes to training in a new place. Capt. Justin Bowen, commander of Company C from Task Force 1-8 IN, shared his thoughts on what can hopefully be taken away from the planned training.

"I hope they understand how historic an event like this is, and that they not only learn from our counterparts, but embrace them," he said

The highlight of the day featured the raising of each battalion's colors and the national flags of each country, showcasing the alliance between the nations as they pledge to work toward a common future that embraces peace and deters aggression in Eastern Europe.

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U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51st 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 partnership and enhance global security.