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1st Lt. Eren Moses
2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment Unit Public Affairs Representative (UPAR)
ADAZI, Latvia – 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, participated in the annual training exercise, “Summer Shield” alongside several NATO allied and European partner countries, May 20.
Nearly 1,200 European and American soldiers participated in the 11-day training event led by Latvia. The Texas-based 2nd Batt. 8th Cav. Reg. provided a tank company, indirect fires element, engineer company and Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to take part in the exercise.
“Summer Shield was an awesome display of interoperability and force. It can be tough to develop solid chemistry but our NATO allies here in Latvia really hit the mark and we were able to integrate seamlessly during the training,” said 1st Lt. Tainasha Epps, fire support officer for A Company, 2nd Batt. 8th Cav. Reg.
The annual exercise has grown in significance in the Baltic region since its inception in 2004. The training includes a wide array of combat support capabilities, from artillery to aircraft operations and even heavy armored vehicles such as tanks.
“It’s always thrilling to conduct a breach!” said Cpt. Anthony Gonzales, commander, A Co., 91st Brigade Engineer Battalion. “Thorough familiarization training with the Spanish and Latvians lead to a successful breach and expansion of knowledge for the troopers within the NATO alliance," Gonzales added.
This year’s Summer Shield exercise featured soldiers from Albania, Canada, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and the United States.
“Even though we come from different parts of the world, I believe we all understand the importance of coming together to support one another,” said 1st. Lt. Jara Svoboda, fire support officer, Czech Republic armed forces. “Working with our NATO allies is a great honor, and I am grateful to be a part of Summer Shield 2021,” Svoboda added.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2021 09:47 |
| Story ID: | 398668 |
| Location: | LV |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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