On 15 March 2011, families of personnel of the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) visited the exercise area of Little Eagle I, conducted from 14 to 18 March 2011, to learn about the exercise itself and see how their dearest work.
The aim of the visit was most of all to present where and how the soldiers perform their duties during exercises like Little Eagle I. So far, children, wives and husbands could only imagine what it is like to take part in a military exercise. So far, they have had no chance to discover on their own the secrets of military work.
All guests, both the small and big ones, more than 40 people altogether, were warmly welcomed by the MNC NE Deputy Commander Major General Ryszard Sorokosz. “This week is very busy for the personnel of the Multinational Corps Northeast. We are conducting the Little Eagle I exercise,” he said. “I wish you a very interesting visit,” he added and gave the floor to Lieutenant Colonel Boris Schnelle, Chief of Visitors and Observers Bureau, who shortly presented the mission and role of Multinational Corps Northeast as well as aims and organisation of the ongoing exercise. It was a very useful introduction before visiting the exercise site located within Baltic Barracks. All guests were escorted by their dearest – fathers, husbands, mothers and wives – who showed them their working places and explained how things work during an exercise. Especially the children were very fond of huge military containers covered with camouflage netting. Many of them hoped the containers would actually turn into tanks…But what did the children like most? “The place where my dad works,” admitted Kärt, a daughter of an officer from Estonia. Lubka, a wife of an officer from Slovakia, was very keen on the visit itself. “It is very interesting to see the real multinational exercise,” she said. “We were presented with some information about the Corps and what our husbands really do during an exercise like this. Now I know why he stays longer at work while we are waiting for him at home,” she admitted. “The presentation about the exercise was very interesting, too. I was very surprised that all children, even the smallest ones, listened to it with attention.”
The visit of families at the exercise site fits perfectly into the concept of the MNC NE Commander Lieutenant General Rainer Korff, who repeatedly stresses the importance of family support for each soldier. Such approach was also reflected during the last Corps’ mission in Afghanistan in 2010 when the Family Care Centre offered assistance to families of all deployed personnel.
