WARSAW, Poland — The Polish president has bestowed a high honor on the U.S. Army commander in Europe as Poland marked its Armed Forces Day with a military parade.
President Andrzej Duda bestowed the Commander’s Cross with a Star of the Order of Merit on Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the commander of the U.S. Army in Europe.
Some 1,500 Polish soldiers then paraded in Warsaw, while fighter planes and other aircraft flew in formation above.
Poland’s marching soldiers were joined by a small unit of U.S. troops, some of the thousands who deployed to Poland this year as part of efforts to reassure European countries concerned about possible Russian aggression.
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Paul Jones said on Twitter that the Americans were proud to march alongside their Polish allies.
