Vilseck High School – JROTC Forging Camaraderie in the East

Writer & Photographer – Prince Young

Cadets from the 18th JROTC “Falcon” Battalion teamed up with the Veterans of Foreign Wars European Chapters to travel to Rokyczany in the Czech Republic early Sunday morning. The town is the furthest point that Soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (now known as the 2nd SCR) based in Vilseck, Germany, was the United States Army unit that first entered the town. Cadets Friebe and Bollinger, who serve as the battalion CSM, and Platoon Sergeant respectively, remarked “It’s ironic that we are revisiting the same ground that our parents’ unit helped to liberate.” Friebe went on to state “It’s one thing to hear about this in class, it’s completely different to stand here and see it and hear it from the people who are still so grateful today.” Cadets were treated to a specialty of hamburgers and fries by the town mayor and the VFW.