The 6-month mission in Afghanistan for about 130 personnel of the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) has come to an end. The first group of almost 60 officers and non-commissioned officers arrived at Szczecin-Goleniów Airport on 5 August 2010 and was warmly welcomed by families, friends and other members of the Headquarters.
The MNC NE Commander Lieutenant General Rainer Korff and the MNC NE Chief of Staff Brigadier General Morten Danielsson were the first to shake hands with the deployers. “All of us, especially your families, are very proud of you. You’ve done a great job!”, said the Commander to his servicemen shortly after the NATO aircraft C-17 touched the ground. Nevertheless, the most awaited moment was obviously the reunion with the families waiting for the soldiers at the observation deck.
During these past 6 months the MNC NE staff had to come with all the mission challenges: responsible jobs since the majority of them served at the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command (IJC) of tactical level responsible for the conduct of the Afghan operation, long working hours, harsh climate of Afghanistan and last but not least – the separation from families.
The remaining group of MNC NE servicemen is going to come back to Szczecin in a couple of days. In spite of the fact the deployment as such has come to an end, the Corps’ mission to share valuable experiences is still gaining momentum. Some personnel have already trained their successors e.g. during the exercise at the Norwegian Joint Warfare Centre, where the MNC NE staff also trained prior their mission; however, a lot of training events for other corps and commands with the participation of the Corps personnel have already been planned.
