FOB ECHO, Iraq, January 31, 2006 - Forward Operating Base Echo, located in the Multi-National Division - Central- South area of operations, is the home of the Polish Army's 25th Air Cavalry.

COL Thomas Vail, commander of the 506th Regimental Combat Team (attached to 4ID), made a trip from FOB Loyalty January 31 to meet with BG Wlodzimierz Potasinski and BG Andrzej Malinowski, both currently deputy commanders in MND-C-S. Although the Coalition Forces officers, as well as the forces they lead, are from different cultures, they share in common the reality of being Soldiers charged with the goal of bringing peace to the burgeoning democracy.

"They're hard. You can tell that by looking at them … they are physically strong," said Vail, in reference to the Polish troops.
While the senior leadership met inside the conference room, SGT Kevin Presgraves, a military policeman for the 506th RCT, took time to get acquainted with his Polish counterparts. He exchanged combat patches with Polish army Warrant Officer Rafal Ziolkowski. They wore their "new" patches for a photo and will keep them as a memento of coalition brotherhood.

Like most of the Polish soldiers, Ziolkowski is comfortable working around his US counterparts. "Some of the (Polish) soldiers here have been to Iraq three times," said Ziolkowski. He has been in the company of members of the 101st Airborne Division before. "The first time I met a Soldier from the 101st was in Bosnia in '92," Ziolkowski said. "I think the [Iraqi] people here are happy. There is a small town called Hamza here where our Soldiers captured a dangerous terrorist. This makes the people feel very safe." Like most of the Polish troops, Ziolkowski speaks English fluently.

Although the leaders' meeting was short, Vail said these types of face-to-face conversations are important and strengthen the bonds of the coalition. Everybody leaves the cultural exchange with something, added Presgraves. Some even leave with a new combat patch.