Paratroopers, Latvian Soldiers share communication, navigation

Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Crawford | Paratroopers with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Latvian soldiers plot a course on a map using a compass and protractor prior to a land navigation and emergency communications training exercise in Adazi, Latvia, on July 1. Paratroopers and Latvian Soldiers trained each other on proper use of their radio equipment prior to entering the forest. Approximately 600 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne are in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to demonstrate commitment to NATO obligations and sustain interoperability with allied forces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael T. Crawford/Released)  

ADAZI, LATVIA

07.01.2014

Story by Sgt. Michael Crawford 

U.S. Army Europe and Africa     

ADAZI, Latvia - Paratroopers and Latvian Soldiers learned to operate each other's radios and create improvised antennas during a land-navigation exercise in Adazi, Lativa, July 1.

Latvian soldiers with 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion and U.S. Army paratroopers with 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, based at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, learned to build antennas from raw materials and studied the differences and similarities between Latvian and American radio equipment.

Approximately 600 paratroopers from the brigade are in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to demonstrate commitment to NATO obligations and sustain interoperability with allied forces.

This will be the first time we've ever built these emergency antennas," said Latvian Cpl. Viesturs Birkentals, 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion, a native of Adazi, Latvia, who has worked alongside U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan and Saber Strike 2014. "It will be interesting to train with the Americans."

Members of the two units combined into teams to navigate the forest and assemble emergency antennas from materials such as sticks, wires and plastic caps to establish communication with the base station. Following successful establishment of communication, they received further coordinates to navigate through the woods, traveling up to three kilometers between points.

"I'm certainly excited to see these guys share their land navigation tips and techniques," said 1st Lt. Luke McCabe, a platoon leader in Troop C, 1st Sqdn., 91st Cav. Regt. "It's integration at its finest - they're working together to complete a mission. I don't know how you can build a relationship any more effectively, especially when the conditions become more challenging: the rain, the cold, you're tired and you're knocking out objectives."

For some paratroopers, this is the first time working with not just Latvian Soldiers but with any partner nations. Spc. Vincent Murray, a cavalry scout assigned to the squadron, hopes to learn as much as he can from his hosts.

"Being a radio transmitter operator, learning their way will help me handle their equipment once we start going on more missions together," said Murray, a native of Akron, Ohio. "We're here to train with them, learn from them and make sure they know we're here to help them out."

173rd will offer what knowledge they can to the Latvian Army.

"I hope the Latvian soldiers get to see a different way of doing things," said McCabe, a native of Boston. "It's a challenge for both parties, but I want them to learn from us just as much as I want us to learn from them."

The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct the full range of military operations across the United States European, Central and Africa Commands areas of responsibility.

• Date Taken: 07.01.2014
• Date Posted: 07.06.2014 14:11
• Story ID: 135375
• Location: ADAZI, LV
• Hometown: ADAZI, RIGAS APRINKIS, LV
• Hometown: AKRON, OHIO, US
• Hometown: BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US
• Hometown: MESA, ARIZONA, US
• Hometown: PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, US