Page 8 - aruba-today-20201112

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Thursday 12 November 2020

Marine Hustle

Filling school backpacks with many hands

rely on help from FPNC, ed in at various collection contacts Paul, Guido and
among others. Due to the points in the Netherlands. barracks adjutant Arthur
problems in the families, Friends of Monique have van Hofwegen have set
it is difficult for many chil- made space available in up a transport plan with
dren to develop properly their houses to collect the the result that the boxes
and to concentrate at many backpacks. Many were transported with the
school. How cool it would sweet and enthusiastic do- ship HNLMS Pelikaan to the
be to give every child a nors, including artist Mario Caribbean, Aruba at the
new school bag with nice Gonsalves and Miss Planet beginning of September.
things, she thought. Aruba 2020 Angelique van Yesterday was the mo-
In a short period of time, the Varsseveld, participated ment that the boxes could
SAVANETA —Fundacion Pa The goal was to collect as donation campaign was in the promotion. A total be handed over to Mo-
Nos Comunidad (FPNC), many filled school back- launched in the Nether- of 20 large moving box- nique and the director of
the official local food packs in the Netherlands lands via radio / television es have been filled. The FPNC. A team from FPNC
bank, presented by direc- as possible for the affect- media and Facebook. The boxes were made avail- with its volunteers take
tor Gainaika van de Biezen ed children in Aruba. This donors could participate able by moving company care of the distribution of
and Monique Drent, volun- initiative came about be- by buying a sturdy back- "Jan de Jong removals" in the backpacks and en-
teer and initiator, started a cause Monique, as one of pack containing at least Groningen. sure that everything ends
donation campaign in the the volunteers, distributes eight primary school ma- For help in transport from up properly.
Netherlands for the school food packages to families terials such as; pens, diary, the Netherlands to Aruba, To all donors in the Neth-
children in Aruba in July of every week. Because of colored pencils, markers, Monique has enlisted the erlands, especially Fred
this year. the Covid-19 crisis, many notebooks, etc. The filled help of the Defense. Ma- & Monique, Ellen and Ellis
families in Aruba have to backpack could be hand- rine barracks Savaneta MASHA DANKI!q

Search and rescue

SAVANETA — The 'Track- around the world. In the
er' training took place in first two weeks, the theory
Aruba from October 19 is taught which consists
to November 7. A total of of three phases. Namely
33 men are trained to be- the technical-theoretical
come Military Trackers. part where the skills to be
learned are focused on the
Tracking is the skill of locat- individual. This is followed
ing, identifying, interpret- by the team performance
ing and chasing traces. where it is taught to deploy
Our "trackers" are used the whole as a team.
for, among other things, And finally the final exer-
"search and rescue" tasks, cise follows in which every-
(national) support of the thing learned must come
Ministry of Justice and of together, both as an indi-
course military operations vidual and as a team.q

American and Dutch marines train together in Aruba

SAVANETA — A reconnaissance unit of used as a "training hub". Here it is possible
the United States Marine Corps is train- to train safely under controlled condi-
ing together with Dutch marines in Aruba tions.
this month. The Dutch marines, both from The US Marines are from the "2nd Recon-
Aruba and frogmen from the Nether- naissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division"
lands, exchange knowledge in the field based at Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville,
of amphibious and diving operations, North Carolina). The Dutch marines of
among other things. 32 Raiding Squadron (Aruba) train ev-
ery year at this training location of 640
The American military landed last Satur- square kilometers during the so-called
day with a C-17 aircraft at the Reina Be- "MOUT training", Military Operations on
atrix airfield. They train at various (public) Urban Terrain. This exercise in America is
locations in and around the Savaneta therefore called "Caribbean Urban War-
Marine Barracks. This is both underwater rior". Dutch and American marines train
and on land. Due to the excellent diving together to strengthen ties between the
conditions in Aruba, the island is gladly two countries.q