Thomas E. Ricks: What Eastern Europeans say as they watch the US and German militaries head toward Russia
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges (L), commander of the United States Army Europe and General Mark Milley oversee the Anaconda exercises near Torun, central Poland on June 7, 2016.
The first time I noticed a civilian response to Dragoon Ride was the afternoon before the 2nd Cavalry Regiment crossed into Poland. It was at the corner of (East) Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The day was fine: sunny, warm, with a light breeze. Lovely. Three Germans in their 70s observed a NATO unity ceremony from a raised bike path one hundred yards away. They made insolent and disparaging remarks about military life, its emphasis on pride, and the inescapable vanity inherent to any spectacle.
