Meet U.S. Army Staff Sgt. William Self, an Electromagnetic Warfare Specialist assigned to 317th BEB, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Johnson, Vernon, Louisiana.
The DEFENDER series increases the scale, capability, and interoperability between USAREUR-AF, the Joint Force, Allied and partner nation forces in Europe.
“Training with the Finnish taught us how to make a living outside in the snow just as comfortable as living in high heat, So being here has tested our body and see what we can endure and now I can safely say put me in snow,” said the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native.
Self previously in the Air Force and left the service to become a cybersecurity analyst and when he was told there was something similar to it in the Army he enlisted.
“I fell in love with 17E because we get paid to play with stuff that is so brand new and no one knows what we do. I get to sit here and be a nerd and get paid to do it and I still travel. This is amazing. I love what I do, I love explaining and telling people what I do,” said Self.
His family had a huge impact on him joining the military and motivated him to serve.
“I joined the Army to go see the world and I had a bunch of family members who were former military members tell me if I wanted to do something bigger than myself, I should join the military,” said Self.
DEFENDER is the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, and is a U.S. European Command scheduled, U.S. Army Europe and Africa conducted exercise that consists of Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response. DEFENDER 24 is linked to NATO’s Steadfast Defender exercise, and DoD’s Large Scale Global Exercise, taking place from 28 March to 31 May. DEFENDER 24 is the largest U.S. Army exercise in Europe and includes more than 17,000 U.S. and 23,000 multinational service members from more than 20 Allied and partner nations, including Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Gavin Hardy)
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.25.2024 18:21 |
| Photo ID: | 8430711 |
| VIRIN: | 240523-A-EJ325-1026 |
| Resolution: | 6720x4480 |
| Size: | 9.62 MB |
| Location: | FI |
| Hometown: | BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 441 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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