Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hamlin | Professional performers entertain guests during the German-American Friendship Dinner...... read more read more
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Soldiers and Department of Defense civilians based out of U.S Army Garrison Bavaria attended the German-American Friendship Dinner with local citizens in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany, Feb. 8, 2019. The celebration, attended mostly by the Soldiers of the 4th Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, offered the opportunity to enjoy some of the finest of German and western cuisines and to build lasting friendships between the military and civilian communities in the local area.
Christl Pelikan-Geismann, former first lady of Sulzbach-Rosenberg, founded the event in 2013; organizing them multiple times a year. Pelikan-Geismann spent most of her youth in New York City, N.Y. but in 2002 returned to Sulzbach-Rosenberg and married Mr. Gerd Geismann, the former mayor of the city.
Her love for Americans and American culture inspired her to start this quarterly event in order to bring the two communities together.
“I miss the American way of life, you could say I am homesick for it,” said Pelikan-Geismann. “I try to bring a little bit of it back into my life over here and at the same time give something back to the American community any way I can”.
The G-AFD started out with just 50 people. Overtime it has grown to average 200 attendees at every hosting because of its rising popularity. This is a clear reflection of the success of these events and the people that enjoy the cultural exchange. The event offers many opportunities to learn from one another's experiences, whether it is professional or military experience, networking or simply a chance to talk and enjoy an evening outside of work. The G-AFD brings people from two differing cultures together for a night of delicious food and top-notch entertainment.
“Service members getting out into the community, meeting new people and experiencing different things is a positive effect of this organization,” said U.S. Air Force retired Col. Robert Lucania.
Military morale remains positive after every event and transpires endless opportunities for Soldiers that are stationed in Bavaria. These Soldiers broadening their horizons in Europe will surely remember such events for the rest of their lives.
“As a young service member I took the risk and never stopped traveling and learning what the world has to offer,” continued Lucania. “What an opportunity for military members to be stationed in Europe, if only for the stories they bring home.”
The next German-American Friendship Dinner is scheduled for June 21, 2019.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2019 09:09 |
| Story ID: | 311567 |
| Location: | SULZBACH-ROSENBERG, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 635 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Strengthening German-American relations, by SFC Timothy Hamlin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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