Sailors participate in school beautification project at Doña Blanca School

ByCourtneyPollock

Naval Station Rota, Spain

In a tiny pueblo on the outskirts of El PuertodeSantaMaría,15Sailorsarrivefor a community relations (COMREL) project at the Castillo de Doña Blanca school, Feb. 3, 2023. The Sailors are there to assist in painting outdoor equipment soccer goals and artwork as part of a beautification project.

TheeventwasorganizedbyNavalStation (NAVSTA) Rota’s community relations programandbroughttogetherSailorsfrom air operations, harbor patrol, public works department and Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 8.

“I was excited about the opportunity,” said Construction Electrician 2nd Class Dominique Wilkinson, from Public Works Department. “Honestly I hadn’t heard of anything like this, and I think it’s a good way to extend the command and base as a whole to the local community.”

ThiswasthefirstCOMRELattheschool since 2019 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The pueblo El Poblado de Doña Blanca, has a unique connection with the installation as it was founded to house the familiesthatwererelocatedfromlandthatlater became Base Naval de Rota. Throughout theyears,theschoolhasmaintainedaclose tiewithbasepersonnelthroughCOMREL eventsandceremoniesaswellasbasechildren attending the school.

As the Sailors broke into groups to begin paintingdifferentareasaroundtheoutdoor patio,thechildrenpeeredcuriouslyatthem frominsidetheschool Duringrecess,many of the children ran outside to see what the SailorsweredoingorpracticetheirEnglish

“After coming here and seeing the kids, I hope they will be happy to see their renewed playground,” said Logistics Specialist Seaman Tiara Amin, from NAVSTA Rota air operations department.

Amin enjoys drawing in her free time so thisCOMRELallowedhertomakeadifference while doing something she loves.

Most of the Sailors expressed the desire tomakeadifferencewhileinSpain.Masterat-Arms 2nd Class Omar Rodriguez is one of four reservists from MSRON 8 who participated in the COMREL project.

“It is my first time in Europe in Spain and I wanted to do something for the peoplehere, hesaid.“Ijustwantedtogive back to the community while I’m here.

Located near the Strait of Gibraltar and nestled on the Bay of Cadiz, Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota serves as the “Gateway to the Mediterranean” and provides U.S. Navy and all NATO forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Capable of promptly deploying combat-ready forces through land, air andsea,NAVSTARota’sstrengthischaracterizedbyitscapabilitytoenablethewarfighter, sustain the fleet and foster the U.S. and Spanish defense partnership