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 Illinois Guard, Polish soldiers train for Afghanistan deployment By Courtesy Story
 MARSEILLES, Ill., - A specialized team made up of Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard and Polish Land Forces hosted a media day during pre-mobilization training here at the Marseilles Training Center Oct 21. The Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A7 conducted close-quarters weapons training, long-range marksmanship and a culminating weapons training event while explaining their training to reporters from across Illinois during breaks. The BEST A7 is composed of 22 Illinois National Guard Soldiers and six Polish Soldiers. All say the training is valuable for creating team cohesion. "We train together because we fight together," said Lt. Col. Piotr Zieja, who will be the chief of staff for Task Force White Eagle when the BEST A7 arrives in Afghanistan. "Training together will lead to working together better in Afghanistan and knowing each other better," said Zieja. Col. Michael Haerr of Eureka is the BEST A7 team chief and said training together will be a key to a successful deployment. "We're getting to know each other and understand each other and by the time we get to Afghanistan, we'll know exactly what each others' strengths are and how our individual roles contribute to the total team effort," said Haerr. The BEST A7 will train for about six weeks in Poland beginning in January before deploying to Afghanistan for six months. Once in Afghanistan, the team will assist the Afghan government to extend its authority across the country, perform security operations and help stabilize the war torn nation. The team will also mentor and support the Afghan National Army and support Afghan government programs to disarm illegally armed groups.
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