Latvian officer carries the YROW torch to Riga
By Major Ann Peru Knabe

Last year’s Young Reserve Officer’s Workshop has already paid dividends, with 1st Lt. Janis Vicups (Latvia) volunteering to organize the 2007 YROW program in Riga.

The 27-year-old Reserve officer volunteered to coordinate this year’s program after participating in YROW at Viterbo in 2006.

“We have a lot of new ideas for the YROW,” said Lieutenant Vicups. “We’re going to have the young officers meeting at the same congress centre as the main CIOR body, and this will help them integrate with the CIOR leadership and better understand CIOR’s mission.”

The reservist, who works as a public and private attorney for the Latvian government in his civilian job, is designing a practical team-building exercise as an icebreaker.

“I think it’s important to start meeting and cooperating with our fellow NATO officers as soon as possible,” he said.  “One can easily make friends and useful contacts that will last a lifetime.”

Lieutenant Vicups speaks with experience. He still keeps in email contact with Canadian and German officers he met last summer and now serves on the board of the Reserve Officers Association of Latvia.  Previously, he served seven years in the infantry and participated in ambush drills and international military exercises with American and British soldiers. His training also includes humanitarian work renovating schools and orphanages and participation in Cornerstone Medicure. He speaks Latvian, Russian, English and a little German.

While he didn’t necessarily know he would become close friends with international officers, the infantry officer always knew he would serve in the military.

“My father was a national guard infantryman in Latvia,” said the reservist who was inspired to earn a police academy law degree and officer’s degree from the Latvia National Defense Academy. “And my grandfather was an instructor surgeon in the old Latvian Army.”

* Maj Knabe is a Public Affairs Officer in the US Air Force Reserve and serves on CIOR’s PA Committee