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North Iredell graduate helps keep peace in Bulgaria
Special to the R&L
Army Pvt.2 Dexter P. McLelland is an M-249 squad automatic weapon gunner with the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, and is currently deployed to Bulgaria.
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Published: November 12, 2009
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania — Nearly 40 years ago, murals depicting the glory of the Soviet military were freshly painted at the Novo Selo training area in Bulgaria. Today, nearly 20 years after the end of the Cold War, they are flaking, subdued images of a bygone era.
Army Pvt. 2nd Class Dexter P. McLelland, a 2009 North Iredell High School graduate and son of Timothy McLelland of Bell Farm Road and Paula Witherspoon of Knox St., both of Statesville, is faced with these reminders of the Cold War and the difficulties of conducting U.S. Army business in a foreign nation as a member of Joint Task Force — East, a multinational group designed to make stronger allies of Romania and Bulgaria.
The operation hones the skills of soldiers from all three nations while helping the people living in some of the poorest areas of the two European countries.
McLelland is a M-249 squad automatic weapon gunner with the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, and is currently deployed to Bulgaria to support the task force based at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.
"I am participating in training with the Bulgarian Army in order to build tactical alliances with Bulgaria," McLelland said.
Soldiers from all three countries train together in individual and company-level movements, as well as with armored vehicles, a variety of weapons and combat lifesaving skills. They also practice the coordination needed to go into and clear a hostile urban area. In addition to the training, the soldiers take time to visit a number of local villages and allow children to explore the vehicles they use.
"We're working with the Bulgarians on advanced infantry techniques like vehicular assault and Military Operations Urban Terrain training," McLelland said. "That's where we practice clearing buildings and other urban settings."
Military training isn't the only reason American service members are in Romania and Bulgaria. A group of doctors and nurses travels to several villages around the training bases in both countries. The team works with local health care workers and translators to provide screenings for optical and other general health concerns. There was also a team of Navy Seabees helping renovate and upgrade local schools and medical facilities.
In spite of the language barrier and cultural differences, the American soldiers and their Bulgarian or Romanian counterparts are usually able to get their messages across.
"The language barrier is difficult to overcome," said McLelland, who has been in the Army for less than a year. "But our allies have similar tactics to our own, so we're standing on a common ground."
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