By SSgt Jessica Switzer
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania – Nearly 40 years ago, murals depicting the glory of the Soviet military were freshly painted at the Novo Selo training area in Bulgaria. Today, nearly 20 years after the end of the Cold War they are flaking, subdued images of a bygone era. Now, artificial thunder echoes through the hills as a Bulgarian M1117 Guardian armored security vehicle runs the training course, mowing down targets with fire from its mounted heavy machine gun.
The daughter of a Peshtigo, Wis., man and a Marinette, Wis., woman is faced with these reminders of the Cold War and the difficulties of conducting U.S. Army business in a foreign nation, as a member of Joint Task Force – East, a multi-national task force designed to make stronger allies of Romania and Bulgaria. The operation hones the skills of soldiers from all three nations as well as helping the people living in some of the poorest areas of the two European countries.
Army Spec. Natasha C. Bales, daughter of Robert Bales Sr. of County Highway E, Peshtigo, and Susan Degutis of Sherman St., Marinette, is a motor transport operator with the 240th Quartermaster Supply Company in Bamberg, Germany, and is currently deployed to Romania to support the task force, based at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.
“I’m responsible for making sure food gets transported from Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base to the Babadag Training Area for the troops who are staying out in the field there,” said the 2006
Marinette Alternative High School graduate. “It’s my job to make sure there are enough supplies for those guys to have a hot meal when they get back after training.”
Soldiers from all three countries trained together in individual and company-level movements as well as with armored vehicles, a variety of weapons and combat lifesaving skills. They also practiced the coordination needed to go into and clear a hostile urban area. In addition to the training, the soldiers took time to visit a number of local villages and allowed children to explore the vehicles they were using.
“I’m gaining a lot of job experience and leadership skills here, which are important as I get ready for my upcoming promotion to sergeant,” said Bales. “We are teaching our foreign counterparts about the American culture and the Army by helping them understand the way we do things and why.”
Military training wasn’t the only reason American service members were in Romania and Bulgaria. A group of doctors and nurses traveled to several villages around the training bases in both countries. The team worked with local health care workers and translators to provide screenings for optical and other general health concerns. There was also a team of Navy Seabees helping renovate and upgrade local schools and medical facilities.
In spite of the language barrier and cultural differences the 
American Soldiers and their Bulgarian or Romanian counterparts were usually able to get their messages across.
“It’s a good experience to train with a foreign military,” said Bales, who was in the Army National Guard for two years before she transferred to active duty in 2008. “It gives you a chance to learn about a different culture, not just through your own observations, but also when the Romanians we work with share their experiences and beliefs with us.”
Whether building new schools, bringing medical services to villages or practicing the art of war, Romanian, Bulgarian and American service members, like Bales, are working to keep the positive relationships going long after everyone has gone home. The relationships built on this training ground will go a long way toward making sure the three nations can work together seamlessly.
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