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The project included sailors from the Spanish navy, and highlighted military occupations and naval capabilities with students from grades three to eight. Alongside U.S. Sailors and Marines, the school hosted Spanish naval officers assigned to the Spanish guided-missile frigate ESPS Alvaro De Bazan (F 101) including Lt. Cmdr. Javier Chocano, the ship’s 2nd commander.
The Sailors and Marines were able to reflect and share what daily shipboard life is like and answer questions from students about their specific roles and military occupational specialties.
Sgt. Tanner Abit-Osman, an intelligence specialist with the 26th MEU and among the participants, said “volunteering while in port is important because it can improve our international relationships as well as have a positive influence on the youth of an allied nation.”
Abit-Osman took time to share with students of Maksimo Ghorkio his role in the Navy-Marine Corps mission while embarked aboard Oak Hill. He said his goal wass to provide a relatable experience to bridge the gap of understanding between civilian and military life through personable interactions.
The U.S. and Spanish service members provided valuable insight to the students, but they were not the only ones learning from the experience. The service members also took advantage of this opportunity to learn about their counterparts and their shared maritime interests.
“Being able to see firsthand how Spain implements its partnership mission with NATO allies, and to be able to interact with them about our shared mission, is such a unique experience,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Ivan Chagoyan. “We made a positive influence on the youth of our foreign partners, and built on our relationship with the sailors of the Alvaro De Bazan.”
Once presentations were completed, the Sailors and Marines were given a gift from the students, a pen, which represents a token of gratitude that is typically rewarded to the school’s most exceptional students. The group gathered for a photograph in remembrance of the memories and new friendships created before concluding the day’s event.
“It’s always a rewarding feeling to take time to volunteer,” said Chagoyan. “Meeting such a great group of attentive students who were engaged in learning about what we do, and what our presence in Lithuania represents, was an unforgettable experience.”
BALTOPS is the premier annual maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic region and one of the largest exercises in Northern Europe enhancing flexibility and interoperability among allied and partner nations.
Oak Hill is deployed in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations conducting naval operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa to enhance capability and interoperability with our allies and partners in the region.
For more information visit www.oak-hill.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2018 15:16 |
| Story ID: | 279794 |
| Location: | KLAIPEDA, LT |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Oak Hill, 26th MEU Visit Lithuanian students, by Jessica Dowell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
