Blog Posts from December, 2009

Admiral Andy Brown, Director of Logistics, U.S. European Command awards the Meritorious Service Medal to a Macedonian Comrade in Arms at the Army House in Skopje, Macedonia.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Macedonia and Georgia as part of the civil military operations team here at European Command and I just wanted to share my experience with you.  I know most don't get the opportunity to do these great things, so it's important to share these stories.

Our team, made up of medical folks, planners, engineers and USAID; departed Stuttgart on a two-country, three-day whirlwind trip. We started in Skopje, the Macedonian capital, where Rear Admiral Andy Brown got the great honor of pinning U.S. medals on 31 Macedonian Soldiers who served with the coalition in Iraq.

The Admiral paid homage to them and their country for their commitment to coalition peacekeeping operations. “We are always stronger when we work together on common security concerns” said Admiral Brown to a crowd of over 200 who had gathered for the awards ceremony. It occurred to me that one thing great countries have in common is how well they treat their soldiers and it was evident that Macedonia is extremely proud of these young men and they were rightfully the toast of the town.

The next day, we traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia. I already knew about the great soldiers from Georgia who are defending freedom. During a friendly meal with our counterparts we confirmed, they have “been there, done that” and they are going again and again. They are committed to the fight and determined to be victorious. We pick good friends!

From the Ministry of Defense, our journey took us on a completely different path to a local kindergarten. We met more new friends here and saw first hand how passionately and respectfully Georgia cares for its less fortunate people.

Georgians take care of people with special needs and ensure that everybody understands that these vulnerable persons will be made part of society, cared for, loved, and given proper attention. It is awe inspiring to see this, to come to grips with it, and then to come to the understanding that the mark of a great country is also how it treats its less fortunate people, those with disabilities. I had a chance to spend a moment with one little boy in particular and I watched him all day during our visit. I met his mother too. You could tell looking at her how much she loved him and how appreciative she was to live in a civilized, caring society like Georgia. It means something to be a Georgian citizen and it is worth fighting for and I am very proud that my country supports Georgia and is helping this family. He, like the other young people there, is truly special.

Here I am laughing with some children in Georgia.

My job allows me to support the civic assistance aspects of U.S. and DoD engagement with friends like Georgia. Our program supports the basic humanitarian needs of civilians. In the case of this kindergarten, which integrates disabled children with other kindergarteners, we came to donate supplies to the teachers and students and to assess what additional support we could provide.

The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi anticipates requesting renovation support from EUCOM and the Corps of Engineers so the school staff can provide even better care for these children. Admiral Brown and the Civil Military Operations Branch work hard to support such efforts with partners like Georgia who take the support we offer and multiply its effects through partnering and hard work.

I learned a great deal about these two countries from seeing the regard shown to their Soldiers, their ablest citizens, and to the way they care for their least able and most needy. Knowing that our friends come in all shapes and sizes only validated once again that we are “Stronger Together.”

Chuck Brady
Civil Military Operations Chief, U.S. European Command