POSTOJNA, Slovenia - Pfc. Hannah Quaney was not even born yet when her home state Colorado National Guard became a state partner with the nation of Slovenia.
But now she is here serving with 38 other Colorado National Guard Soldiers on Exercise Immediate Response 14.
The National Guard State Partnership Program, in Europe, is an effort of the U.S. European Command. The program began in 1991 and it was in late 1993 that Colorado joined up with Slovenia which had just declared its independence from the former Yugoslavia. The National Guard Bureau chose Colorado to partner with Slovenia.
Immediate Response is one of many partnership events between the two but for young Quaney, this is her first time overseas.
“I am 19, and they are paying for me to come to Europe and meet new people; you get to experience a new culture,” she said.
“I knew nothing at all, I had no idea what to expect, I like it,” she smiled.
Since 1994, there have not only been partnership events in both countries but they have served in Afghanistan together as well.
Colorado also is the only state to have a Middle East partner. They have partnered with Jordan since 2004.
Worldwide, the National Guard State Sponsorship Program includes 68 nations.
When talking about her two-week visit to Slovenia, Quaney said, “The Slovenians are very quiet and very friendly,” while laughing about her American friends, “Even if we are quiet we are the loudest ones there,” She smiled.
In this, her first international experience, she said it was clear to her how much the partnership program meant to her Slovenian counterparts.
“They are showing us off; they are showing their partnerships off,” she said, adding that meant a great deal to her.
Each year, Colorado and Slovenia conduct numerous events in both locations that cover diverse topics such as senior leader engagements, special operations forces development, engineer construction, military decision making process, range development, airfield development and standards, defense support to civil authorities, family programs, and resiliency.
On a visit to the United States in 2013, Brig. Gen. Dobran Bozic, chairman of Slovenian National Defense said, “The Colorado National Guard has been a great military partner, as a true testament of the friendship; we have deployed together to Afghanistan and continue to look for future military collaborations. Deployments are the benchmark of trusting partners - putting your life in your friend’s hands.”
And for Quaney, “Yeah I would come back. This helps us team up with more good guys.”
Heck, she can even find Slovenia on a map now, a long way from her home in Colorado Springs.