GES kindergarteners trick-or-treat Grafenwoehr Mayor
African generals visit US training areas Grafenwoehr, Germany - 30 representatives from various African nations and NATO allies visited US training areas in the Upper Palatinate for four days. The so-called "African Land Forces Colloquium" was organized by the Southern European Task Force - Africa (SETAF-AF) of the U.S. Army, stationed in Vicenza, Italy.
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — In the spirit of Halloween, Grafenwoehr Elementary School kindergarteners donned costumes and visited the Grafenwoehr Rathaus and Mayor Edgar Knobloch on Thursday, Oct. 21. Per American tradition, the host nation mayor distributed trick-or-treat candy to the children, and in return, the children surprised him with sweets of their own. According to Erica Finlay, a kindergarten teacher with GES, the school has a long-standing tradition of arranging class field trips to the city hall. However, the field trip was not held last year due to COVID-19.
Photo Credit: Andreas Kreuzer
“This is the first off-campus field trip of the year,” said Finlay. “Also, this is our first field trip since COVID-19 impacted the world.” All three kindergarten classes of GES attended this educational outing. Together, they surprised the mayor by reciting a poem — in German — about autumn.
The meeting was the first visit by African generals and other high-ranking military officers since the incorporation of the Southern European Task Force - Africa into the US Army Europe and Africa. Its commander, Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, also attended the colloquium one day. Cavoli was the commander of 7th Army Training Command (7ATC) in Grafenwoehr from 2014 to 2016. 7ATC also introduced the African guests to the excellent exercise opportunities at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training Areas. In addition to insights into current training exercises, target construction equipment and electronic devices for recording hits on targets were presented on range 118. The intent was to provide the African partners with suggestions and examples for their own military training and the establishment of an infrastructure on their training grounds. | by Gerald Morgenstern
Before heading back to GES, the kindergarteners were given an opportunity to spend a few euros at the city center’s autumn festival, or Herbstfest. This farmers’ market celebrates the season’s harvest and the community as a whole. “It helps the children learn more about the community around them, and it helps them learn about the person who runs the town,” Finlay said. “Plus, it’s nice for them to be out in the world and get out of the classroom.”
To view additional photos of the field trip, scan Code.
| by Sidney Sullivan
Major Gen. Andrew Rohling (third from left) and the 7th Army Training Command presented the training opportunities and infrastructure of the Upper Palatinate training areas to African generals and NATO allies at the African Land Forces Colloquium.
Bavarian Times | 6
Photo Credit: Gerald Morgenstern
Grafenwoehr Elementary School kindergarteners exchange Halloween candy with Grafenwoehr Mayor Edgar Knobloch, Oct. 21, 2021. All three kindergarten classes of GES attended this educational field trip.
Major Gen. Andrew Rohling, the commanding general of the South European Reaction Force Africa of the US Army describes the African countries as important partners when it comes to global security. The colloquium is also intended to promote the dialogue between the African countries to clarify questions of military training independently and among each other.
