GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Soldiers from the 7th Army Training Command on Monday invited local German mayors, police officials and others to watch live artillery fire and get a glimpse of life behind the scenes of the post.
The visit was intended in part to allay residents’ concerns about rising noise and traffic levels, as the base hosts an additional 3,700 troops from 26 countries for Exercise Dynamic Front, a large-scale state-led exercise. United which started on February 23 and ends on Saturday.
For Stefan Horndasch, Deputy Commissioner of Ansbach County, the visit shed light on what is happening so close to his community.
“We wonder what happens when we hear more helicopters and artillery fire,” he said. “When the United States (the military) invited us to come down to base and see what happens, we wanted to come.”
Many community leaders, including Horndasch, had no idea how many countries were participating in the exercise.
“It was very interesting for me to find out that this was not just training for the US military, but training for many countries in a very large (exercise),†Horndasch said. . Knowing the reason for the increased activity has reassured officials about the importance of exercise, he said.
For American soldiers demonstrating their artillery, the presence of German officials gave them the opportunity to show off their prowess with the guns.
CPS. Mason Leverenz, gunner of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, fired ten shots in front of the crowd of onlookers.
“It’s nice to show off what we’re doing,†he said. “It’s great to be a part of such a big event and to know that all of these people care about what we do.”
[email protected] Twitter: @Marty_Stripes
