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Vice Chief of NGB joins SALITRE Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Texas Air National Guard Public Affairs
CERRO MORENO AIR FORCE BASE, Chile --  Lt. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, vice chief National Guard Bureau, traveled to Chile to strengthen the State Partnership Program relationship, Oct. 15, joining more than 80 Airmen from the Texas Air National Guard participating in SALITRE 2014.

The U.S., Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are participating in SALITRE 2014, which is being hosted by Chile at Cerro Moreno Air Force Base, Oct. 6-17.

"I am down here to represent the National Guard Bureau, to watch this exercise and see how; not just Texas, but the United States augmented SALITRE 2014 in this
Multi-national event," said Lengyel.

Lengyel, a former Texas Guardsman and 149th Fighter Wing vice commander was eager to reunite with his former unit. He was met with a warm welcome by both the Chilean Air Force and fellow Texans.

Both Chilean and U.S. military members formed friendships and developed respect for each other, further strengthening the State Partnership between their countries.

"This is bigger than the Texas State Partnership, it's a partnership between Chile and the United States," said Lengyel. "And the relationship has been great."

Lengyel insisted on one final stop prior to returning to Santiago, Chile; heading straight to his former comrades and fellow Texans. There he met with his former crew chief and maintenance crews from the 149 FW. He gave them words of encouragement and thanked them for a job well done representing the U.S. in SALITRE 2014.

"The State Partnership Program is working fantastic," said Lengyel. "I've said this about all of our 68 partnerships. We, the U.S., get as much from these partnerships as our partner countries do. These cultural exchanges are just great."