Photo By Spc. Trey Gonzales | U.S. Army Spc. Ray Ortiz, an infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry...... read more read more
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Pabrade, LITHUANIA — Under a cold, brooding sky, NATO forces assembled in a massive display of strength and unity, pushing their limits in a high-stakes field exercise designed to test their readiness for any threat.
More than 2,500 troops from Lithuania, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States gathered at the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area near Pabrade, Lithuania, from Oct. 21 - 29 for the Lithuanian-led annual field training exercise Strong Griffin.
U.S. Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, out of Fort Cavazos, Texas, and Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers of 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, out of Scranton, took part in Strong Griffin 2024.
While the National Guard soldiers from Pennsylvania participated in Strong Griffin as part of their 2-week annual training, the 2-8 Cav. Regt. Troops had been working with and around Lithuanian forces for several months as part of a longer-term active-duty rotational presence of U.S. forces in the Baltic region. Even with time to adjust to the heightened operational pace of being deployed outside the United States, 2-8 Cav. Regt. soldiers faced environmental challenges that differed significantly from what they were used to in Texas. Chief among those differences is the terrain.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ellen Guisti, a native of Yuma, Arizona, an armored vehicle crewman assigned to 2-8 Cav. Regt. shared his observations on the terrain differences between Texas and Lithuania.
"It's very different from Fort Cavazos," said Guisti. "They're a lot of thick trees out here. We don't really have a lot of maneuver room."
Guisti shared that because of this, she has to trust her tank commander when he gives her orders regarding the tank's movement or orientation of the turret and main gun.
Other challenges requiring U.S. soldiers to adjust arose from differences in tactics used by the opposing Lithuanian and Polish forces compared to those employed by similar U.S. units.
"I've learned that they do things a little differently, but it works for them," continued Guisti. "Just like we have certain tactics that work for us."
Guisti and her teammates agreed that stepping out of your comfort zone is essential for growth. Through facing unfamiliar environments, soldiers become better prepared for the challenges they have yet to confront.
All the U.S. soldiers who participated in Strong Griffin adapted to and learned from the challenges they faced during Strong Griffin and have become more well-rounded soldiers because of them.
2nd Lt. Vivian Tsai, a 2-8 Cav. Regt. tank platoon leader said she looks forward to taking what they learned from their time in Lithuania and applying it to future training events and exercises back at Fort Cavazos.
"It's all about improving your organizations by using the experiences we've had to teach and instruct," explained Tsai. "We get to pass on this knowledge to Soldiers who didn't deploy or haven't joined us yet."
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2024 13:55 |
| Story ID: | 484534 |
| Location: | PABRADE, LT |
| Hometown: | FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 188 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Strong Griffin: 1st Cavalry soldiers adapt and learn in Lithuania, by SPC Trey Gonzales, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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