Photo By Sgt. Marcus Floyd | U.S. Army Sgt. David Pileggi, a Soldier with P Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry...... read more read more
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NOWA DEBA, Poland — Over the course of Atlantic Resolve, Soldiers have sent a lot of rounds down range, mastered a myriad of land navigation courses and jumped out of helicopters.
However, sometimes, taking a break from normal Army training can prove beneficial as well.
“It's great to get a break from training,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Hart, an infantryman with P Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. “When you can get outside the normal training of just going to ranges and do something fun that builds really good teamwork, it's always a good time.”
Used as a team-building exercise, U.S. Soldiers with P Troop partnered with Polish soldiers from the 6th Airborne Brigade to complete a water obstacle course Aug. 4-6 at the Nowa Deba Training Area in Poland.
“I love building teamwork with these guys,” said Hart. “These guys are fun to work with, and overall we just had a good time.”
Dividing into teams of six, the soldiers competed for the fastest completion time on the obstacle course created by the Polish soldiers, which included a zip-line, rowing a raft across a lake, carry a log and several other team oriented exercises.
“It was impressive and great exercises for us and the American soldiers,” said Michael Deginder, a sniper with the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade. “We are glad we can do this together.”
By working in teams comprised of both American and Polish soldiers, P Troop was able to look to the Polish to lead the way.
“It builds interoperability,” said Hart. “I know you hear that word all the time, but it couldn't be more true. We already have a strong alliance with them, and to be able to do this makes it even stronger.”
While the course provided a welcomed break for the Soldiers, it still proved to be not only physically challenging, but mentally as well.
“Probably rowing as a group was the hardest part,” said 1st Sgt. Jefferey Crossman, the senior enlisted non-commissioned officer with P Troop. “It was tough trying to get everybody on the same sheet of music, especially if you don't have the same language, but once we got into it, someone took charge and we started making it work.”
Finishing the course with the second fastest time of the day, Crossman expressed the importance of being a senior non-commissioned officer participating in team-building exercises with the Polish soldiers.
“It's important for the senior NCO of the troop to get out here and show them we're not afraid to get our hands dirty and we're not afraid to take orders from the guy on the ground who knows what they're doing, which is what happened today,” said Crossman.
The Polish soldier may have been lower ranking, he said, but the soldier knew the course, and he made it all turn out great.
After completing the obstacle course, Hart said he was looking forward to the next team-building exercise with the Polish.
“Maybe next time, we could come out and we could hold a stress shoot for them,” he said.
The training is part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, an ongoing multinational partnership focused on joint training and security cooperation between NATO allies. Led by the mission command element of the 4th Infantry Division and in conjunction with European partner nations, Atlantic Resolve is intended to improve joint operational capability in a range of missions and ensure the continued peace and stability of Europe.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2015 15:34 |
| Story ID: | 172346 |
| Location: | NOWA DEBA, PL |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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