Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk | Maj. Jason Honeycutt (right), executive officer for the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion,...... read more read more
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YAVORIV, Ukraine – Paratroopers with the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade participated in two ceremonies on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, 2015, in L'viv, Ukraine, marking one of the country’s biggest state holidays, independence day.
Fearless Guardian is the name for the Congress-approved, Departments of State and Defense initiative under the Global Security Contingency Fund-Ukraine. The paratroopers are in Ukraine for the second of several planned rotations to train Ukraine's newly-formed national guard as part of Fearless Guardian, which is scheduled to last through November.
For the first event, paratroopers participated in a flag-raising ceremony, where Ukrainians lined the streets to see the festivities. Cadets from the Ukrainian military academy raised the national flag in the city’s downtown square.
The prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, addressed the audience to show his support.
“Blue-and-yellow ribbons and chevrons have become a symbol of courage of Ukrainian servicemen and volunteers,” said Yatsenuk. “Our flag is a living witness of victories and defeats, which are inevitable at war.”
During the ceremony, soldiers from the country’s ministries of defense and interior raised additional blue and yellow flags signed by soldiers currently serving in Eastern Ukraine.
“The flag I brought today was signed by all my men and has served with us for almost as long as I can remember, it has travelled on our fighting vehicles on all of our missions,” said Lt. Alexander Serhiyiv, a company commander with the Ukrainian Armed Forces 24th Mechanized Brigade. “I am proud that I am able to raise this flag today, it shows the world that we bow to no one, that we stand free. I am pleased that American Soldiers are able to come here and share this event with us and letting us know that we are not alone, that the world supports our cause.”
For the second event, the paratroopers visited the Lychakiv cemetery in L'viv alongside top officials and members of the Ukrainian and Polish Armed Forces to place ceremonial candles and flowers on the graves of soldiers killed in Eastern Ukraine. With a military band playing in the background, troops from Ukraine, Poland and U.S. stood at attention and rendered salutes.
“It really brings it home, that the people you are training are going out there and dying,” said 1st Lt. John Fernandes, a paratrooper with the 173rd Abn. Bde. “To see someone's mother or other family [members] standing there crying over their graves really makes you realize what they are going through.”
Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 24, 1991.
| Date Taken: | 08.24.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2015 10:42 |
| Story ID: | 174281 |
| Location: | YAVORIV, UA |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Sky Soldiers honor 24 years of Ukrainian independence, by SSG Alexander Skripnichuk, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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