In the old days, they used to refer to the pungent odor from Alpena’s industries as the “smell of money.”

Keeping in that vein, then, we are a week away from the “sounds of freedom” screaming across the sky over Northern Michigan.

From Aug. 5 to 18, the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center will again be participating in an international training session occurring at various locations across Northern Michigan. It is the largest training exercise that will occur for Guard units anywhere in the United States this year.

During that period, not only will Michigan National Guard units be training in the region, but so will military members from Latvia, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. This summer’s exercises are part of the “Northern Strike” operation that will involve the various branches of each government’s military.

Past Northern Strike exercises have proven extremely valuable for the units. The operation allows governments to train their military in war-like situations, something that is obviously helpful if those units suddenly are thrust into a tense situation somewhere around the world.

The region has the advantage of having the Alpena CRTC and Camp Grayling ground ranges so close to one another. That fact is a major asset for our region, as everything a unit needs to successfully train is located here.

“Not only do we have the largest National Guard training site in the country with 147,000 acres, but we have the largest air space east of the Mississippi, which extends all the way over Lake Huron,” Maj. Gen. Gregory Vadnais said in a news story about the training earlier this week.

During the training, residents will notice a lot more air traffic in the sky each day. Residents might also observe exercises out in Lake Huron or on land in area forests or beaches.

The extra noise, traffic and activity all are small prices to pay by area residents for the valuable training these men and women will be receiving.

For two weeks in August, Alpena will be at the center of an international exchange where cultures blend together in a unique training exercise. We’re excited by that thought.

So let freedom ring across the sky in August.

Bill Speer can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com or 989-354-3111, ext. 331. Follow Bill on Twitter @billspeer13.