Group of 87 soldiers from the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast on board took off from the Goleniów Airport having Kabul, Afghanistan as a destination.
Few minutes past 11 am a US Air Force C-17 cargo plane with a group of 87 soldiers from the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast on board took off from the Goleniów Airport having Kabul, Afghanistan as a destination. The officers and NCOs are to join 77 already deployed personnel who reached the ISAF Headquarters earlier.
The soldiers gathered at the airport at about 10 am ready to check-in and to send last goodbyes for their families and friends. The flight was postponed a few times but eventually favourable conditions appeared and it could take place. Already yesterday evening, during one of the line-ups, the soldiers were blessed by the Military Bishop, major general Tadeusz Płoski. The hours prior to the departure the officers spent with their relatives. For each soldier a mission is an unforgettable experience and a combination of creativity, adrenaline and a dash of insecurity. Maybe this is the reason why most of them took some photos or things bringing luck or simply reminding of those who are waiting for them at home.
Altogether 164 soldiers will spend about 6 months in Kabul and take part in the ISAF X mission. They will fill the majority of posts in a new composite headquarters consisting of representatives coming from various NATO structures. This mission is the greatest and the most important challenge for the Corps after achieving Full Operational Capability in February 2006. A long process of preparations preceded the deployment, which included collective exercises such as FAT EAGLE (September 2006), an exercise which took place in the Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway (October 2006) or an exercise Unified Endeavour at Fort Bragg, USA (November 2006). Apart from collective trainings, the officers were involved in individual and national trainings. All this meant to prepare our soldiers in a best way possible to fulfill the assigned tasks in ISAF X. In fact, NATO assumed command and control for ISAF mission on 11th August 2003. The ISAF operation functions within a UN mandate and according to the current and future UN resolutions. Its aim is to assist in establishing democratic structures to facilitate the reconstruction of Afghanistan and in expanding the influence of the central government.
The families of the soldiers, friends and co-workers of the Corps staying in Szczecin are looking forward to meeting the officers when the mission is completed, expecting the soldiers to come back with new experiences, fresh ideas and feelings of well-served duty.
