 And now, for your strong Europe spotlight. While the rest of the Army celebrated its 241st birthday, Army Europe was participating in Anaconda 16 in Poland, an exercise involving over 31,000 troops from 24 nations. After completing the mission, USER finally celebrated the Army birthday with the annual Army Ball. The guest speaker for the event was US Ambassador to Germany, John B. Emerson. The US military presence here continues to be a unique and compelling part of the German-American story and what a consequential role the United States Army has played in this chapter in world history. Attendees were treated to an evening of food, tradition and entertainment. Music for the event was provided by the Army Europe Band. For more information on the Army in Europe, visit er.army.mil.