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PASIR PUTIH BEACH, Indonesia - After an agonizing 12-mile ruck march and five days of tactical field training missions, the Infantry battalions participating in the Garuda Shield 2014 exercise in East Java, Indonesia, get a moment to rest and relax before continuing their training pathway in the Pacific region.
The 411 Tentara Nasional Indonesia and the 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division earned a special trip to the Pasir Putih Beach, on the east coast of Indonesia to increase morale, endorse diversity, increase resiliency and ultimately promote team building between the Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) and U.S. Army Soldiers.
“This was an awesome experience,” said Spc. Fletcher Bowman, an Infantryman with the 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment. “This couldn’t have come at a better time. We didn’t expect to go anywhere and I am glad the command team treated us with this day.”
Although the Soldiers get a day to recharge from their vital mission in Puslatpur, they know deep inside that there is still much more work to be done in Garuda Shield 2014.
“The Soldiers deserve it,” said Ohio native, Sgt. 1st Class Joshua McComas, a Platoon Sergeant with the 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment. “The last few days have been tough but yet rewarding. We have worked with the TNI Soldiers and have made life long friends amongst each other.” “If I could take away anything from this exercise it would be the awesome culture. I have really enjoyed myself out here and so have the Soldiers. I look forward to gunnery and moving forward in the Pacific Pathways mission.”
Pacific Pathways is an innovative concept to deploy the Army’s most trained and ready units through a series of exercises in the Pacific region.
The upcoming week will prove to be equally challenging for the infantry battalions but for now, the Infantrymen are enjoying a little “Fun, in the Sun.”
“This week is a very important week,” said Lt. Charles Christensen, a Platoon Leader with the 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment. “Today is just a testament of great leadership. This place is absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the week. This is much more than what I expected.”
“The Soldiers worked very hard the last couple of weeks and this moment for relaxation and rest is well deserved. Resiliency and cultural awareness is a very important part of being a Soldier and this is a great event that the command team provided for us,” said Christensen.
The Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and Indonesian Armed Forces’ 411th Raider Infantry Battalion have grown together and have created friendships that will never be forgotten. The Garuda Shield 2014 exercise is slated to conclude on Sept. 30, 2014.
“The Pacific Pathway mission and Garuda Shield has definitely been a great experience,” said Bowman. “This exercise helps us identify the differences of other cultures and helps us bring it all together to complete bigger missions wherever they may occur.”
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2014 05:54 |
| Story ID: | 142803 |
| Location: | SURABAYA, ID |
| Hometown: | FORT LEWIS, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS EAST RANGE, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 138 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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