U.S. general's Balikatan visit boosts soldiers morale

From the Philippine News Agency (May 10): U.S. general's Balikatan visit boosts soldiers morale

FORT RAMON MAGSAYSAY, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija -- The unprecedented visit of a commanding general of the United States Army to the ongoing Balikatan, a joint military exercises between the American and Philippine armed forces, has served as a big push to over 700 participants here, a training officer said.

Capt. Ian Hermosura, assigned at land warfare training of the Philippine contingent, said the presence of Gen. Vincent Brooks, commanding general of the U.S. Army of the Pacific, was a boost to their morale.

"Because we saw that their commander is exerting effort. They are serious in these kinds of activities especially the bilateral exercises," Hermosura said.

Brooks, who was given military honors here, paid a visit to Brig. Gen. Glorioso Miranda of the Philippine Army's 7th Infantry Division and Brig. Gen. Donato San Juan of the Special Operations Command Wednesday.

Later that day, he watched the platoon live fire exercises at Fernandez Hill where joint U.S. and Philippine forces simulated a joint assault using combined direct and indirect weapons upon three enemy forces.

But instead of observing the exercises, which Hermosura and his American counterpart Major Joseph Weinburgh, operations officer of the 3-4 Cavalry of Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division designed, Brooks went close to the assaulting teams.

An officer said Brooks may have wanted to get the full grasp of the scenario in order to see the efficiency of the interoperability training.

The general did not issue statement even as no one would speak on the issues that he and the Filipino generals may have tackled during his courtesy call.

But Hermosura found his presence enough.

"It (the visit) showed the seriousness of the U.S. not only enhancing relationship but also in helping our armed forces," he said.

By combined direct and indirect weapons, the joint forces used their traditional long firearms which were M16 for Filipinos and M4 for their American counterparts and the U.S.'s 60mm mortar.

Hermosura described the mortar as "platoon-attached" or handy that can be carried by two-persons as against the Filipinos'"company-attached."

The Filipino soldiers, on the other hand, shared to their counterparts the ability to survive on available resources.

Over 200 American and 500 Filipinos soldiers are participating in the Balikatan or Shoulder to Shoulder military exercises which started on May 6 until May 16 here.

Weinburgh said that besides the military exercises, the participants also enhance their interoperability in disaster response and humanitarian activities such as medical missions and rehabilitation of schools in nearby villages.

The U.S. troops also brought in an Opsprey Helicopter, a vertical and horizontal airlift, that was used during relief and rescue operations in areas affected by typhoon Yolanda.

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