U.S. Army Capt. Alena Leshchyk, a Belarusian native, works with her Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force bilateral partners to establish an Ammunition Holding Area during Exercise Orient Shield 23 at Camp Kamifurano on Sept. 12. Orient Shield is the largest annual bilateral training exercise conducted in Japan between the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Army. ()
CAMP KAMIFURANO, JAPAN — The days have been long as Capt. Alena Leshchyk and her logistics task force teamwork to provide reception, staging, onward movement and integration for the members of the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment during Exercise Orient Shield, the largest annual bilateral live fire exercise between Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Army.
Leschyk, a plans officer for the 35th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, is deployed to Camp Kamifurano to operate as the LTF officer in charge during Exercise Orient Shield. Her role is to act as the logistical lynchpin for the 5-20th Inf. Reg. during their two-week bilateral live-fire maneuver training.
“The logistical task force’s job is to integrate the U.S. Forces into the theater and provide basic life support with reception ops, in-briefs on the site’s rules and regulations along with important cultural information about our partners with the Japanse Self Defense Force,” said Leschyk.
Life support consists of organizing an assortment of functions like military interpreters, IT support, emergency medical support, lodging, field hygiene and more.
Leschyk takes pride in her job by not only providing the basics for support but also tries to go above and beyond what is required to add a touch of comfort. She demonstrated her dedication to logistic support by ensuring that more than 500 members of the 5-20th received a fresh hot meal from the on-site field feeding platoon’s field kitchen.
“It wasn’t necessarily a requirement, but I do my best to provide quality service,” she said. “I am very big on those small logistical things that make a huge difference. It makes a Soldier’s introduction to Japan that much better,” Leschwyk explained.
According to Leschyk, her favorite part of her participation in Orient Shield has been being able to work with a maneuver unit again.
“My first logistics job was at Fort Drum. It is great to be able to support our maneuver Soldiers again. There is instant gratification with the job which is really nice. Being in the field is also a nice change of pace,” she explained. “All the challenges that we have faced as a team so far have led to personal and professional growth. We are building relationships. I have encountered a lot of things I didn’t know or knew the right points of contact for. This exercise has helped me build on my knowledge and also build a great network,” she said.
Working with the JGSDF more intimately has also been one of Leschyk's highlights during Exercise Orient Shield.
“Working with our bilateral partners is of course challenging in of itself. There are cultural differences and language barriers, but we have worked together to overcome them,” she said. “In my day-to-day job, I don’t have as much interaction with the JGSDF, but here I am having personal interactions with them and it is rewarding to sit at a table with them during meetings and discussions while working on the same goals and plans,” Leschyk explained.
Leschyk is no stranger to hurdling cultural and language barriers. She grew up in Belarus and immigrated to the U.S. after receiving a degree in Linguistics. Due to her educational background in Belarus, she has been traveling to the U.S. for one week every year for a cultural immersion experience since the 2nd grade.
Leschyk originally immigrated to the U.S. after being accepted into Drexel University, but due to sticker shock of tuition fees to the private college, she was forced to alter her plans. Along the way, she met her husband who later joined the Marine Corps. After several years in the Corps, he transitioned back to civilian life, and Capt. Leschyk decided it was time for her Army career to begin.
“I worked as a training instructor at Navy Federal Credit Union in D.C. I had a lot of interactions with the executive leadership, who were all retired flag officers. They were the best leaders I had ever encountered. I decided that I wanted to emulate their leadership, so I joined,” she said.
Leschyk, her husband, and their two-year-old son now live at Camp Zama and are enjoying their time in Japan. Her future plans are to use her linguistics and diplomatic-focused background to navigate her career path toward that arena.
