TORUN, Poland – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, visit a local high school here, March 25, 2022 as part of building long-lasting relationships with the community.
Field Artillery Soldiers and the Marshal's Office of Kujawsko – Pomorskie hosted a community outreach event at High School No. 10 so that students get to know their neighbors surrounding the training area.
"It is important for the students to learn about people from other countries and professions; maybe high school students will choose to be soldiers themselves," Adam Zagula, a foreign affairs representative with the Marshal's Office and a local from Torun said. "Maybe they can see what the life of soldiers of NATO forces in Poland looks like."
The event consisted of the Soldiers interacting with the students. They played a basketball game in the morning where the high school students were victorious. They had two meetings with two different classrooms in the afternoon, with over 30 students each. They talked about what the Soldiers do in the Torun training area and how life is for a U.S. Soldier in Poland. They finished the day with students asking general questions about the United States.
"We need to make sure that they feel they can rely on us, and in hard times it shows them that we have a footprint here in Poland," U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Sanchez, carrier ammunition tracked vehicle driver assigned to 1-5 FA said. "They saw our faces and the mutual understanding was that we are ready in case anything happens.”
U.S. Soldiers are here in Poland as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, an ongoing multinational effort to ensure the continued peace and stability of Europe through combined training and security cooperation with NATO allies.
Sanchez reiterated, “Today, we reassured the local community, we are friendly and worthy of being called Allies and partners."
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