Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ashley Gillons Terpsma | Cavalry scouts with 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat...... read more read more
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Take a hundred smiling children's faces. Add a large amount of Army soldiers and equipment. The result is partnership at its finest.
On June 2, 2018, the small village of Konotop, located in northwestern Poland, hosted a community outreach event for the village's Children’s Appreciation Day.
In an effort to build positive relationships, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team supplied several military vehicles and equipment for local children and families to experience up close.
The event included lunch, games, activities for the children, and a special visit from these service members.
“They show us their culture and I enjoy showing them ours. It’s important to get in touch with the community and to show that we are here for them," said Spc. Steven Bouton, a cavalry scout with the unit.
Bouton, along with the rest of the team, opened their vehicles for the children to climb in. This allowed the children to enjoy a turret's-eye view of the entire event. Some had the opportunity to try on the soldiers' tactical body armor, helmets, and protective eyewear.
“It’s important to get in touch with the community and to show that we are here for them,” said Bouton.
The 2-8th also enjoyed playing soccer and sharing lunch with the local children and their families.
“It reminds me so much of home. The people are so nice and we want to give back as much as we can by showing them that everything bad that they hear about us isn’t true" said Sgt. Connor Bresnahan, another cavalry scout at the event.,
Many of the local children expressed excitement and gratitude to the soldiers by giving them paper hearts and picking flowers for them.
Another highlight of the event included a group of Polish men arriving in vehicles and American military uniforms from World War II. The children and family members expressed their excitement with whistles and cheers.
The event concluded with an ice cream social for soldiers and community members and a hula-hooping game for the village children.
Not only did the locals enjoy the event, but members of the 2-8th did as well.
“We couldn’t have come with a better team. This is the nicest place the Army has ever sent me,” said Sgt. Bresnahan.
The 2-8th Cav, 1st ABCT arrived in Poland nearly one month ago in order to participate in Saber Strike 18.
Saber Strike 18 is the eighth iteration of the long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise designed to enhance interoperability among allies and regional partners such as Poland.
Konotop's Children's Appreciation Day was just one of the many events highlighting this important partnership.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2018 11:53 |
| Story ID: | 279371 |
| Location: | OLESZNO, PL |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Soldiers show appreciation for Konotop kids, by SFC Ashley Gillons Terpsma, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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