Photo By Courtney Pollock | 240204-N-GA645-1161 NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (February 4, 2024) Sailors, assigned to...... read more read more
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In early February, the streets of Rota swelled with motorcycle riders and enthusiasts from all over Andalucia for a multi-day event hosted by the Los Camaleones Motoclub. The weekend’s culmination is a community event held for event-goers as well as Rota community members.
Personnel from Rota Fire & Emergency Services, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8, Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Company, Europe (FASTEUR), and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 participated in a community engagement event at Rota’s feria grounds, Feb. 4, 2024.
“As members of the Rota community, it is vital to have events such as these so the locals can have a better understanding of what we are here to do,” said U.S. Marine Capt. Austin Vale, executive officer of FASTEUR. “A shared experience like the Rota Moto event is a great opportunity to build the comradery between the American forces stationed and deployed in Spain, and the Spanish locals.”
Throughout the four-plus hours, Sailors, Marines, American firefighters, and Spanish bomberos were able to interact with event-goers about their job and mission in Spain, pose for photos, and share laughs.
“Being able to present some of the equipment that the Marines would operate in certainly demonstrated its weight,” said Vale, referring to the weight of the machine guns, grenade launches and rifles the Marines had on display. “This truly showcased the strength Marines need to have in order to achieve their assigned missions.”
In addition to holding Marines’ weapon systems, community members enjoyed trying on the bomb suit, operating the tactical EODMU 8 robots, and climbing into Seabees’ construction vehicles. In total, over 30,000 people attended the event.
Many of the U.S. personnel who supported the event said they had a great time and are looking forward to next year when they can again take the opportunity to highlight their mission and work here in sunny Southern Spain.
As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2024 06:36 |
| Story ID: | 465065 |
| Location: | ES |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Personnel Participate in Annual Local Motorcycle Weekend, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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