Jackal Stone 2012 participants take cultural tour of Croatia
Related Topics (6)
-
1
U.S. Special Operations Command Europe
-
2
Ready Forces
-
3
Partnerships
-
4
Military-to-Military Engagement Program
-
5
Exercise Jackal Stone
-
6
Croatia
More related topics
ZADAR, Croatia – Military personnel from 11 NATO-member nations took part in a tour of the Krka National Park located along the Krka River in Croatia on Sept. 15, 2012.
The Croatian military hosted the national park trip event to share the beauty and rich culture of their nation with the visiting participants of Jackal Stone 2012.
Hundreds of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen of multiple nations spent the day walking the park’s wooden and natural pathways built around and above the park’s many flowing streams and waterfalls. They explored caves, swam, and ate fine cuisine at various restaurants.
“I didn’t know how beautiful Croatia was,” said U.S. Army Spc. Trevor Trombley, a generator mechanic with the 317th Maintenance Company. “I had never seen anything like that. It was a once in a lifetime experience.”
Park employees demonstrated the ancient craft of iron-working and weaving of blankets and traditional garments for visitors in stone structures that have been intact for nearly a thousand years.
Some visitors spent a small fee to travel the Krka River by boat that docked at several small islands filled with various wildlife and old monasteries.
“It was a wonderful trip and I’m glad I got to go and have the opportunity to do something like this,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Bianca Beckem, with the 435th Security Forces Squadron after taking the boat trip.
It was great to see a different side of Croatia with people who showed us the ins and outs of the area, she said. It helped build relationships between the different nations participating in this year’s training exercise.
Croatian Army 1st Lt. Marko Skourlj, a public affairs officer with the Croatian Army Peace Support Operation Center who helped plan the daylong event said he enjoyed seeing the visiting forces mixed among one another in a day of relaxation. He said the Croatian government wants the visitors to feel welcome.
“The purpose of the trip was to show the people our environment and to enjoy themselves,” he said. “It creates better bonds with one another.”
JS-12 is a U.S. European Command Joint Chiefs of Staff - directed exercise conducted in various locations throughout Croatia to enhance special operations capabilities. From Sept. 13 to Sept. 27, the multi-national exercise will involve approximately 1,700 military personnel from the U.S., Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Find more articles tagged with:
- partnership
- culture
- Jackal Stone
- tour
- Croatia
- NATO
- multinational
- U.S. Special Operations Command Europe
- SOCEUR
-
EUCOM senior enlisted seminar hits its mark
ISES, a weeklong U.S. European Command event held at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, concluded on Sept. 13.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Exercise Jackal Stone 2012 leaders, participants honor fallen SF comrade
Military members and civilians from the U.S. and Croatia honored the late Master Sgt. Ivica Jerak, a member of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, with a small memorial service held in his native town of Debeljak, Croatia, Sept. 22, 2012.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Ceremony ends 18th Combined Endeavor
On Sept. 20, a closing ceremony at the Joint Military Training Command on U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, Germany, ended the 18th year of the world’s largest military communications exercise, Combined Endeavor 2012.Find more articles tagged with:
-
173rd Airborne Brigade, Italian carabinieri share training, experiences
Noncommissioned officers from the rear detachment of U.S. Army Europe's 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team shared deployment experiences and lessons learned with Italian military law enforcement officers during cultural awareness and information operations training here, Sept. 11.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Schweinfurt flexes combat capability muscle with NATO exercise
Despite its announced closure earlier this year, the U.S. Army garrison here still has something to prove: Pitted between closing and remaining operational, it can also host a large-scale NATO exercise in its own backyard.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Kansas National Guard partners with HDTC for Humanitarian Demining in Armenia
Four soldiers from the Kansas National Guard are working with a civilian representative from the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Training Center to teach international Humanitarian Mine Action standards to members of the Engineering Companies of the Armenian Peacekeeping Brigades Sept. 18-28.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Croatian president visits Exercise Jackal Stone 2012 for Media Day
President Ivo Josipovic of Croatia visited the Josip Jovic Air Base in Udbina, Croatia during the Jackal Stone 2012 Media Day to observe demonstrations from Special Operations units from 11 nations participating in this year’s training event.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Renovations pave the way to stability and partnership
Renovations are nearing completion in Ubina, Croatia where U.S. Navy Seabees have been hard at work completing Humanitarian projects.Find more articles tagged with:
-
81st FS plays critical role in NATO exercise
The 81st Fighter Squadron is participating in a Ramstein ROVER 2012 Sept. 5-22.Find more articles tagged with:
-
JMTC hosts CE participants for 3rd year
The Joint Multinational Training Command, or JMTC, here, is hosting more than 40 nations and multinational organizations participating in Combined Endeavor for the third year in a row.Find more articles tagged with:
Comments: 0