NB National Guardsmen train in Romania

New Braunfels National Guardsmen were deployed to Romania for two weeks of training in July — the first mandatory international trip for the group since World War II.The experience, said battalion Personnel Staff Noncommissioned Officer Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Allen, was priceless.“The guys loved it, the training, the people, everything,” he said. “There’s a chance we might get to go back. We sure would like to.”

Traditionally, the Texas National Guard soldiers have attended summer training at Fort Hood, but this year they were selected to join troops from the German-based 1st Armored Division and 7th Army Training Command in Romania for joint exercises with 400 Romanian soldiers.The troops conducted military operations in urban terrain, convoy live fire, convoy force on force and small marksmanship exercises.

As much as the New Braunfels soldiers enjoyed their military training, Allen said the cultural exercises made more of an impression.“Seeing the local villages makes you sick,” he said. “They need so much help.”The troops did what they could to improve living conditions in the Romanian villages, renovating four schools.Donning construction “aprons” over their fatigues, the troops constructed a new roof on one of the buildings, installed indoor plumbing with flushing toilets, built playground facilities, poured a concrete floor in one classroom and painted fences.“The people met us with open arms, and they were so grateful,” Allen said. “I wish we could have brought more to them.”

The Texas soldiers arrived in Romania bearing gifts of T-shirts, Texas flag pins and American flag patches, earning them the devotion of the villages’ children.“We also took and distributed children’s books, in English, to the schools,” Allen said. “The kids really loved that.”While the children marveled over their American gifts, the Americans wondered at the novelty of new scenery, food and experiences.“There were acres and acres of sunflowers everywhere you looked,” Allen said. “And there were mountains all around us. It was really beautiful.”On their one day off from both military and humanitarian projects, the troops took a trip to the beach where they swam in the Black Sea.July’s training exercises were designed to test the feasibility of conducting regular training overseas.

The success of “Romex ’05,” as it was dubbed, encouraged the military to negotiate with both Romania and Bulgaria to gain more access to future training areas.The $8.7 million temporary camp also allowed the military to test how easily it could set up locations for temporary deployment before heading into war somewhere else.

Until next summer, Allen will content himself with exchanging e-mail with his new pen pal, the unit’s Romanian driver.“He wants to come here to visit, and I want to go back there. It’s kind of funny,” Allen said with a wide smile.

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