GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Northeast Wisconsin Army Reserve unit is preparing for deployment later this month.
Before the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion can leave for Eastern Europe, its soldiers need to show they’re ready to go overseas.
Soldiers’ preparations were put to the test Friday, as they completed the Army Combat Fitness Test.
“Starts off with the deadlifts, and then we have a series of events involving a sprint-drag-carry — you run back and forth, you carry some weights,” explained Civil Affairs Specialist Illya Kryschchenko. “And pushup, plank, ball toss and then the finishing exercise is the two-mile run.”
While some might think the exercises sound grueling, Kryschchenko said he was excited to have some fun.
“My favorite is the ball toss — ball toss and the sprint-drag-carry,” he said. “The ball toss, it’s just fun to go ahead and throw something over your head, and the sprint-drag-carry — you run, you carry stuff, you drag things — that’s pretty fun to me.”
But even Kryschchenko admitted he wasn’t a fan of the two-mile run.
While this month’s deployment will be Kryschchenko’s first, many soldiers in the 432nd have been to Eastern Europe before — like Civil Affairs Team Sergeant Beth Farvour, who’s been in the reserves for 12 years and was deployed in 2020.
“I’m looking forward to being able to see, like, what we’ve built upon from the last time our unit went in 2020 to 2021,” said Farvour. “Seeing how far the ball has moved since two years ago and being able to really make an actual impact and a real-world impact that we can see.”
Farvour explained that the battalion will work to foster relationships and address societal issues.
“We’re one of the only groups in the army that is specifically trained on addressing social issues and societal issues and interfacing with local populations and host nation’s governments,” she explained.
The battalion’s deployment is part of Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce. It will support U.S. Army V Corps, demonstrating commitment to NATO allies and partners.
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