Shun Jie Yong | Photographer- The soldiers compete with each other in the Ahkio cross-country race.
Soldiers gathered at Camp Ripley, Little Falls for the 39thannual Norwegian Troops Exchange Program.
“There are 115 soldiers on the Exchange Program this year and this is a little unusual because we have officers from Croatia, Denmark and Sweden,” said Major Benjamin Wiener, major of the Minnesota National Guard.
Major John G. Donavan, Chief Visitors Bureau of Camp Ripley’s Training Center, said this is the exchange program that the Minnesota Home Guard has done with the Norwegian Home Guard for 39 years now, but this is the first year that they have had more international components to it.
The Norwegian Troops Exchange Program began in 1974. The goal of the program is to promote good will and sharpen military readiness between the nations as well as provide opportunities for cultural understanding among its participants, according to the Minnesota National Guard’s website.
Norwegian youth troops will spend two weeks in Camp Ripley, Minnesota National Guard’s Premier Training Center. The Norwegian soldiers have to build their tents in the forest to learn winter survival skills. At the same time, they get the chance to train with a 9mm pistol and an M-16 to get qualified to use automated weapons in the U.S.
“The weather here is adaptable and I learned the winter survival skill. This is the first time that I am wearing the Mickey Mouse Boots. I called that snow boots as Mickey Mouse Boots because it is all white,” said Sebastians Thoresen, youth soldier from Norway.
“This program is very good, we learned a lot especially in the winter, surviving in the winter in American way. We have a lot to do and that is precisely what we want,” said Vilde Rosseland Digranes and Nicolai Fredih Weinstoch, youth soldiers from Norway.
Arne Enger, 1st Lieutenant from The Norway Home Guard said the exchange program is fantastic, adding that it is also a challenge to the youth soldiers from Norway to learn something different here.
“It is a prize, because only the best youth soldier back home to obtain the chance to participate in this program,” said Enger.
Major Benjamin Wiener also said that it is a good chance for the youth soldier from Norway to practice speaking in English.
Youth soldiers were also assigned to three different teams: Red Team, Blue Team and White Team. The three different teams have to compete with each other in a biathlon event, land navigation, and the Ahkio race – a group race that involves four people pulling a sled and three people running around it simultaneously. The four people will change when one circle is completed.
Other than learning new skills and competing with other, youth soldiers have the chance to stay with a local family in Little Falls to experience local culture.
Major Wiener said the youth soldiers will be leaving Camp Ripley on Saturday and spending the weekend with the local family hosts in Little Falls.
At the same time, 115 soldiers from MN had also been sent to Norway for training.
On Wednesday, Sergeant First Class Daniel Fealy gave 9 mm pistol training. He first introduced the pistol, then he talked about the range safety rules, how to inspect the glock, the fundamentals of marksmanship, fundamentals of shooting and tactical reloading.
Youth soldiers got to try the gun without magazines while Sergeant First Class Daniel Fealy briefed them on the pistol.
The day after, all of the soldiers in the exchange program woke up at approximately five in the morning to clean up the campsite, then pack up and leave.
Ahkio races were then held on the lake at nine in the morning. “This is their first time to take part in the Ahkio race, they do not have the chance to try it last week because the snow is not thick enough,” said Major Benjamin Wiener. Four soldiers from each team require pulling a sled and completing three rounds of circles to win the race. Another four soldiers will take over the sled whenever the sled is back to the starting point.
Soldiers then went for their 9mm pistol and M16 qualification after the race. They had to hit the target and get a certain score to be qualified to use the pistol and machine gun.
The program ran from Feb. 9 to Feb. 22.
