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In a sea of 750 U.S. and Georgian troops at an airport in Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, stood Attleboro resident Pfc. Tom Copithorne, 21, tall and proud as he watched history unfold before him.

On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence spoke to U.S. and Georgian troops about how the United States will continue to support and protect Georgia against the Russian regime.

America first does not mean America only, the vice president told them. We are here to tell our friends in Georgia, we are with you. We stand with you and will stand with you as you pursue membership in NATO.

Copithorne, a 2014 Attleboro High School grad who joined the Army right out of high school, is one of the many soldiers taking part in a joint military exercise called Nobel Partner aimed to help Georgia get up to NATOs standards.

The goal, U.S. Army officials say, is to support the training, evaluation and eventual certification of Georgias second light infantry company contribution to the NATO Response Force.

Georgia is not a NATO member but voluntarily offers troops to the force.

Being a part of an exercise aimed to protect and unite Americas allies is something Copithorne said hes grateful to have been a part of.

And as Copithorne and his fellow U.S. troops stood in solidarity with the Georgian troops he realized he was a part of something far greater than himself.

After listening to Pence and Giorgi Margvelashvili, the president of Georgia speak, Copithorne was in for a surprise and was greeted by Pence for a hand shake and photo-op.

Copithorne later posted the shot to multiple social media sites with the caption, Its not everyday you get to meet Vice President Pence #usaarmy #USA #Georgia #OperationNoblePartner.

Its an honor to serve this country, Copithorne said. This was a very proud moment for me.

Abigail DesVergnes can be reached at 508-236-0340.

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Mike Pence Attleboro - The Sun Chronicle