A small group of Iowans is helping keep track of an enormous military exercise which involves 12-thousand soldiers and hundreds of tanks, ships and warplanes. The huge operation is being staged along the North Carolina coast, where the Iowa Army Reservists are set up.Captain Ed Bryja is among eight members of the Des Moines-based 366th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment which is taking part in the exercise. Currently at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, Bryja says part of his job is to help tell the story of the large military drill to the public.Dubbed “Roving Sands 2000,” Captain Bryja says it’s the world’s largest joint theatre, air and missile defense exercise. The operation is designed to prepare troops for rapid deployment on any mission. Bryja says the Des Moines unit’s mission is to get the word out about what’s going on by coordinating media coverage.The big military drill is an international endeavor. Besides the U-S troops, soldiers are also taking part from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It runs from tomorrow through June 23rd.
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