Pacific focus brings Indian troops to JBLM

[Vikrant]

I hope Indians brought their mess staff with them because it is hard to find authentic tandoori chicken and roti in in the U.S.

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As they prepared to welcome about 150 Indian Army soldiers to their installation for the first time, the soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, didn't know what to expect.

"A lot of guys had worked with the Iraqis and the Afghans, and the attitude was 'we're going to have to teach them and hold their hands,' but it's been the opposite," said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Zehring, the platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. "These guys are well trained, they're highly motivated. They can do anything we ask them to do or that we show them to do because that's how they already do things."

The Indian Army soldiers are at Joint Base Lewis-McChord for Exercise Yudh Abhyas, an annual bilateral exercise between India and the United States. This is the first time the exercise, which is in its 11th year, has taken place on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The Indian soldiers, from the 9th Mountain Brigade and its subordinate 6th Kumaon Battalion, arrived right around Labor Day, and they will be on post until Sept. 23, when the exercise culminates with a company-level live-fire field training exercise.

While they're in the U.S., they are training and working alongside soldiers from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry, which is part of the newly renamed 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. The brigade, which is assigned to the 7th Infantry Division at JBLM, previously was known as 3rd SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division.

The exercise with the Indians, which takes place during the even years in India and during the odd years in the U.S., is at JBLM this year to reinforce the Army's focus on the Pacific, said Brig. Gen. Rob Ulses, deputy commanding general for support for the 7th Infantry Division.

"We have forces assigned here who work the Pacific [area of operations], and with the rebalance to the Pacific, I think [Army leaders] wanted to showcase that," Ulses said.

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Pacific focus brings Indian troops to JBLM for 1st time

 

[Moonglow]

When I was in North Alabama in the Army(1982), the military started hiring civilians to run chow hall...At that time there was many Korean women working there and they cook to order....It was better than the slop in the field kitchen..You know, that sergeant that had a huge belly and smoked a cigar whilst he labored for our grub....Cake still under cook on one end and the thickness was twice as big as the end that was thinner and burnt,,,,
I am sure they are there for training, which is nothing new...There were Muslims in Norther, Alabama as well as all contingents of allies came there to the missile and munitions center and school.....