Photo By Javier Orona | Spc. Ryan Krawczyk, a Paratrooper from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division...... read more read more
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A large crowd kicked up clouds of dust as they walked down a dirt road in hopes of witnessing a historic moment, June 7, 2016 in Torun, Poland.
Excitement filled the air as people exchanged smiles, laughed and conversed about the upcoming event.
Approximately 1200 paratroopers participated in an airborne operation, which kicked off Swift Response 2016, and marked the first time 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers have ever jumped into Poland.
Swift Response is an annual multinational training exercise, which highlights interoperability, and builds upon relationships the U.S. has developed with its European partners.
The training exercise includes more than 5,000 Soldiers and Airmen from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United States and takes place in Poland and Germany, May 27-June 26, 2016.
For Spc. Ryan Krawczyk, an infantryman from A Co., 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division this wasn’t just another day at the office. Not only was it an opportunity to be a part of history, but also a chance to parachute into a country that he says is very special to him.
Krawczyk’s parents relocated to the United States of America from Poland before he was born. He said his parents wanted to provide him with the best opportunity for success and they felt that moving to the U.S. would be the best course of action.
“I learned [the value of hard of work] early on in life, “ said Krawczyk. “My dad worked 80-90 hours per week to support our family.”
Krawczyk bounced back and forth between the two countries throughout his childhood, and aside from a couple of aunts and uncles, he says most of his family still lives in Poland.
“Poland is great…it’s very laid back and focused on growing with the culture and arts,” said Krawcyk. “The people are all about contributing to society instead of worrying about their own individual accomplishments.”
Krawczyk knew before he entered the United States Army that he wanted to contribute in some way. He chose to be an infantryman, and decided that he wanted to become a paratrooper.
He deployed to Afghanistan with 1-504 PIR in August of 2014, and is currently serving with the unit as a radio telephonic operator (RTO).
Krawczyk says being a part of Swift Response is something he was looking forward to because of his ties to the country and that he was excited to jump in front of the locals.
“Poland as a whole has an amazing culture and the citizens are selfless,” said Krawczyk. “It was a long plane ride, but it was worth it.”
As planes flew over Poland there was one local in particular that was keeping an eye out for him.
Krawczyk’s mother has been there for him ever since the day he was born, and she was hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he took part in the event that would make history.
She was in a nearby city waiting for the opportunity to see the aircraft her son was flying in.
Krawczyk said she was unable to make it to the drop zone to witness the airborne operation in person, but she watched his plane pass overhead on its way to drop him off. He said she told him she was very proud of him for his decision to join the military, to stick with his decision, and for his part in the historic jump into Poland.
Future fights will be multinational and will occur at an unknown time and location, but exercises like Swift Response offer valuable opportunities to identify and solve interoperability challenges during training scenarios.
Phase one of the exercise featured joint forcible entry airborne operations near Swidin and Torun, Poland to seize and secure territory as part of a fictional scenario. This enables the build up of troops and materiel while providing maneuver space for follow-on missions.
Once the Paratroopers land on the drop zone they rally together with their respective formations in order to execute those missions as part of an overall strategy.
“Each country brings their own strengths to this exercise,” said Krawczyk. “I think the biggest benefit is getting to know each other and building relationships with Paratroopers from other places.”
Krawczyk says that he enjoyed spending time with Polish Paratroopers and speaking to them in his native tongue. He also said he enjoyed seeing first hand how they carried themselves while conducting their operations.
There are some things in life that you just can’t put a price tag on, and to Krawczyk, this is one of them.
“It’s been an honor to conduct this multinational jump into Poland with the 82nd Airborne Division,” said Krawczyk. “It’s been something like a gift, and I’ll never forget it.”
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2016 04:53 |
| Story ID: | 202470 |
| Location: | DE |
| Web Views: | 1,923 |
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