1LT Paul talks about what his units role is during Dragoon Ready 20. Paul also discusses working alongside U.S. Army Soldiers and the knowledge exchange between the French and the Americans.
Transcript
Okay so we are in the Hohenfels Camp. And we are exercising with the 2CR for the Dragoon Ready 20. So my regiment is here to exercise with the 2CR. Okay, I think, first of all, it’s very useful for our units to work together because we are allies, and we have to learn how to work together. It already happens in some operations. So I think it’s important to continue to drill with our allies. So that’s why we are here. First, I’m very proud to be here with the 2CR because the story of the 2CR. In fact, the 2CR went in France during the First World War. And our regiment has been created at the time of the First World War. So I think we have a common history. So it’s very interesting. Moreover, of my personal point of view, I’m very glad to exercise with US soldiers because we have lot of thing to learn about procedures and how you manage the field operations. So I think it’s very great for a young platoon leader as me to be part of this exercise. Yeah, first of all, speaking English because, in France, it’s not very common to speak all day with English people. Moreover, I feel that US soldiers are very sympathetic. So it’s easy to work with them. And for the professional aspect, it’s interesting to drill on a unusual, open field because, in France, we don’t have so big camp to exercise. To me, it’s important because we can understand how an army works even if it’s not ours. Moreover, I think it’s making links between the nations, and it shows the friendship that our countries can have together. First, I think it’s a huge area where we have a lot of possibilities because of the terrain, because of the cities like this one. It’s very challenging for us to exercise in such a complex ground, and so I think it’s very useful for the drill to be here. So–