BEAUFORT, S.C. - After serving with South Carolina Guardsmen in Afghanistan, 40 soldiers from the Army of Denmark are spending two weeks in Beaufort County, S.C., observing a major National Guard exercise.
"Our commander and the officers from South Carolina built a friendship while we were in Afghanistan together and they invited us to come to the state," said Staff Sgt. Christian Ravn, a soldier from Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 218th Enhanced Separate Brigade from the South Carolina National Guard returned to the state earlier this year after serving for approximately a year in Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror.
While in South Carolina, the Danish soldiers are observing National Guard operations during Vigilant Guard 2008, one of the largest disaster response training exercises in the history of the National Guard. The April 21-24, 2008, exercise brings together more than 3,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from more than a dozen states to work with local, state, and other federal agencies to practice their response to a major disaster, in this case a notional earthquake centered near Beaufort.
"This is a great opportunity to work with some of our international partners," said Brig. Gen. Les Eisner, the deputy adjutant general for Army in South Carolina. "We had the opportunity to serve alongside them in support of the Global War on Terror and now they get a chance to see how we posture and prepare for some of the Guard's domestic responsibilities."
Participating in a disaster response exercise is familiar training for Denmark soldiers, said Pvt. 1st Class Martin Paaske, who also lives in Copenhagen.
"All soldiers in Denmark learn rescue training and firefighting skills," he said. "It is an important part of what the Army does in our country."
The Denmark soldiers are assigned to a signals battalion and said they were particular interested in observing how the National Guard establishes and maintains communications systems during an emergency.