WARSAW, Poland - Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers with the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package took a day to enjoy the cultural and historical sites in and around Warsaw, Poland earlier this month.
The Soldiers were in Poland training with the Polish Land Forces as part the Illinois National Guard's State Partnership Program.
On May 19, Illinois National Guard members and Polish soldiers trained together on responding to a chemical attack at the Prairie Warsaw Crisis Management Exercise in Warsaw.
Illinois and Poland, National Guard State Partnership Program partners, have conducted exercises both in Illinois and Poland for 18 years, and the partnership has fostered a strong relationship between the two.
Polish forces and Illinois National Guard troops have deployed together in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, the Illinois National deploys Soldiers with a Polish Land Force Brigade on every Polish rotation into theater.
The Soldiers also had an opportunity to learn more about the country they are working in and the Polish soldiers they are working with in Epifaktor 2011, an emergency response exercise in cooperation with the Polish Armed Forces.
The Soldiers toured the museum and grounds at the birthplace of classical composer Fryderyk Chopin, Lazienski Krolewski (the royal residence), and took a guided tour through historic Warsaw on May 22.
Martin Limanowski of Warsaw, a contractor working for the Polish army, said the tour, which centered on Chopin, was well-chosen.
"The birthplace of Chopin is important to see because Chopin is a composer [who] is famous throughout the world," said Limanowski. "Even people from Japan or China are coming to Poland to see the birthplace of Chopin and his museum."
The Soldiers toured the royal garden park and the palace of the last Polish king. They also went to Old Town, which is the oldest section of the city.
Army Staff Sgt. Sarah L. Roman, a squad leader and chemical operations specialist with the 135th Chemical Company, said she was fascinated to see the older parts of Warsaw because Poland has a longer history than the United States.
"I thought it was really beautiful the way they built everything up. I guess we do the same thing in the United States, but everything is newer," said Roman. "You walk around downtown Chicago and the buildings are grandiose and beautiful, but they are all made of steel.
"It was cool to see the exposed brick that was original from before the war, that they made it illegal to destroy."
For Army Spc. Paul D. Adams, a chemical operations specialist with the 444th Chemical Company, the Polish Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was the most important stop on the trip.
"The most interesting thing that I saw, for me, was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier," said Adams. "It was only partially rebuilt, because of the financial state of the country after World War II."
Limanowski said this type of experience is critical to helping American Soldiers better understand their Polish counterparts.
"If you know the Polish culture, you know the Polish people; you know how we feel, how we work, and what is most important to us here in Poland," he said.
Adams said he also felt the cultural day helped him to better understand the culture of the people he is working alongside.
"Actually getting to meet them face to face and interact with them and see their culture gives me a better understanding of how they work and act," said Adams. "So, when we have a joint mission we can actually come together and mesh a lot better. It takes some of the bumps out of the road."