Szczecin-Contingent completes their mission in Afghanistan.
On 3rd August most of the 160 soldiers from Multinational Corps Northeast, after working for more than six months in ISAF Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, will arrive back in their home base in Szczecin, Poland. It was the first time MNC NE came into action in a real mission to support the stabilisation of peace. So this was a milestone in history of MNC NE also. ISAF Commander, US Four-Star General Dan K. McNeill, summarised his appreciation for the Szczecin-Team in a short ‘Well done’, describing the successful work of the Corps’ soldiers, carried out for most of them between January and August 2007. ‘Multinationality is hard work but the only right way’, said Major General Jan Brun Andersen, normally working as Deputy Commander of MNC NE but during the mission in Afghanistan also the Senior General of the Szczecin-Team, with a view on the daily working business in ISAF HQ. The soldiers from MNC NE, coming from nine different nations, worked in Kabul as the main body of the so-called ‘Composite Headquarters’. They had to integrate all the other soldiers from all 37 Nations, belonging to the ISAF family and fighting together shoulder to shoulder for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. The high level training the Szczecin soldiers got before the mission, is emphasised by Major General Andersen as the main reason for the outstanding record: ‘Good training makes the difference’.
The soldiers from Multinational Corps Northeast are redeploying but something of them will stay in Kabul and Afghanistan. There are many memories and also a lot of new friendships, established during the time with Afghans as well as with members of the International Community and, not to forget of course, with soldiers from other ISAF Nations. And also the name of the town Szczecin, as home to MNC NE, is now integrated in ISAF HQ forever. One of the main HQ buildings, a container built office space area and formerly known as ‘White Building’ has been named ‘Szczecin’ now, to honour the work of the Szczecin soldiers and also to remember their very first and successful mission.
