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At 11 years young, Antoni Zieliński’s reaction to American troops openly welcoming him to climb aboard a Stryker, a United States infantry fighting vehicle, summed up what his nearby friends and family were thinking. He smiled, ear to ear, as his father snapped a cellphone picture. It was simply happiness of an innocent child, surrounded – yet comforted – by vast military battle-born vehicles.

“He told me about this. He wanted to come to see the Americans,” explained Filip Zieliński, a Gołdap, Poland resident. “And then he sees Americans with British and Romanian soldiers next to our Polish Army. This is one of his best days.”

An American sergeant helped the young Zieliński off the vehicle. He and his friends go straight to the outer tactical gear, where the sergeant helps them wear vests, helmets, gloves and even protective masks for chemical gas. The youngsters high-five each other as their laughters are muffled by the masks.

“Kids, not only do they have fun with us, but they also ask a lot of questions,” U.S. Army SGT Timothy Nauss, an operations sergeant, said. “They’re curious about a lot of things like what does this do, where we are from, and why are we here.”

This day, American, Romanian and British troops within NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Poland are bonding with the Gołdap community during a static display, a non-tactical show of capabilities. They are sided with Polish soldiers who are recruiting local residents to serve in the military. Nearly 20 fighting vehicles, from British Jackals and American Strykers to Polish Goździks, align a section of a public parking lot just outside of a gymnasium. Soldiers continuously monitor public traffic as youngsters and adults curiously approach the vehicles and service members.

Staff Sergeant Eddie Siguenza helps a Polish youngster down military tactical gear during a static display, a non-tactical public show of weaponry, in Gołdap, Poland. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by SSG Eddie Siguenza)

The Battlegroup, a 1,200-member robust and combat-ready force, regularly supports community activities. It is here where troops can interact with local inhabitants and send messages of peace, friendship, strength and unity – NATO’s most bounding purposes. This alignment of words and actions is central to achieving success. In our information age everyone is a communicator, and our best communicators are soldiers who have credibility and can help connect with local populations.

“Our goal here is to continue fostering connections with communities and to let them know we’re here assisting the nation on an international level,” said LTC Trevor M. Phillips, Battlegroup Poland commander. “Our mission is of deterrence, and a critical way of showing our capabilities is right here – out in the community. We’re letting these people know they can trust us.”

For the past five years, the Battlegroup has interlocked with Polish brigades to ensure maximum cohesion between Allied NATO forces. It incorporates regular training regimes to ensure it is prepared for real world threats. The Battlegroup also includes static display missions into its operations planning as a means of supporting brigade requests, but also to continuously reach out to communities to build stronger relationships.

“When we reach out to communities, we let them know we’re helping make this nation safe and they can continue living peacefully,” added Phillips. “We hope communities get inspired by our efforts, and in return it will bring communities closer together.”

“It shows the friendship of different people from different countries, and that shows the people of Poland we can trust them,” Zieliński said of the military show of force. “We can go on with our lives knowing we’re being protected.”

An American service member helps a Polish youngster atop his Stryker, an infantry fighting vehicle, during a static display, a non-tactical public show of weaponry, in Gołdap, Poland. photo by SSG Eddie Siguenza

Static displays are not the only means of community outreach. The Battlegroup established a sponsorship program, where companies and batteries “adopt” nearby cities and work with official leaders to determine their needs. Army units often send teams, or representatives, to cities to participate in events such as community races, school celebrations and more. Units will provide humanitarian support when needs arise.

“It’s all about friendship and cooperation,” said Maciej Bednarko, vice mayor of Grajewo, Poland. “The Battlegroup comes to my city and participates in special events. They also help us build the community. This is an important relationship.”

Previously, the Battlegroup reached out to communities by joining competitions such as rifle marksmanship, volleyball and soccer.

Ukrainian children play with U.S. Army CPT Danielle Zemola, legal officer for NATO Battlegroup Poland, shortly after the children and their mothers sought shelter in Warsaw, Poland, weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. photo by SSG Eddie Siguenza

Since the 1949 North Atlantic Alliance was born, NATO has concentrated on building cooperative relationships amongst nations, even instilling a Partnership for Peace program that extends to non-member countries. “If NATO’s neighbors are more stable, NATO is more secure,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once said. That itself is a value that the Battlegroup enacts. To preserve good relationships and partnerships, Phillips sends his forces into communities in similar fashion. Troops benevolently connect with communities. They listen to concerns and develop a modestly scaled “partnership for peace” cooperation to fulfill community needs.

“NATO is the pinnacle of cooperation and partnerships, with many countries establishing good working relationships,” Phillips explained. “Our troops establishing good working relationships with these communities mirror NATO’s overall perspective.”

Minutes pass after the Zielińskis rotate from tactical vehicle to vehicle to vehicle. They sit on a Jackal and play with an empty 50-caliber weapon. They grab a handle and rotate the turret of a Stryker. The younger Zieliński still ask questions, as does the father.

But they finally share hugs and handshakes with every Battlegroup member present. The elder Zieliński transforms himself back to father mode. For a moment he was a 43-year-old student, learning about military vehicles and tactics, but now he has to speed walk to catch his son and friends who have run to the Polish infantry tank.

“The happiest thing about all this?” Zieliński concludes. “We came here not knowing anyone, now we leave with new friends. They (the soldiers) are good people.”

Partners for peace.