Nothing like a little cooperation!

I thought this was cool.
More than 400 US and Russian Soldiers just completed a joint training mission which was held in both Germany and Russia. The operation, Exercise Torgau 2005, was the FIRST TIME frontline American and Russian Soldiers trained together in the field. Members of the US 1st. Armored Division and Russia's 4th Armored Division trained side by side at the Solnechhogorsk Training Area in Russia and also at the Grafenwohr Training Area in Germany.

It's not the first time our guys have worked with their guys, but it is the first time they've held a joint training exercise for frontline Soldiers. Besides training together, they also lived together, which allowed for an interesting cultural exchange. Capt. Dan Cohen, a platoon leader with the 1st Armored Division said that "It was important for the Soldiers of both nations to recognize that Soldiers are people the world over. They're real people just like us. Their uniforms and weapons may be different, but they're just people. They like the same rock and roll music as we do. They swapped Metallica concert stories."

Our troops also found out that the Russian's respected and admired our equipment and were eager to learn new skills and tactics. The language barriers dropped as the exercise went on. Instead of dwelling on language, cultural and equipment differences, these guys were able to open their minds and learn from each other.

It's a lesson we could all use. Open your mind, and the world becomes your classroom.

**UPDATE**
John Donovan provides his take on Torgua-05 today. Be sure to check out the article Ry sent.