VOILA, Romania -- Playing freely in the school yard, the children of Voila Secondary School celebrated their last day of the school year. Little did they know they'd soon be in for a surprise visit from special guests, as the combined US and Romanian forces in the area joined children and teachers alike to donate new electronic equipment to the school in Voila, Romania on June 15, 2017.
US and Romanian forces have been working together over the past few years as a part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a NATO mission that sees the US working with its European Allies and partners to enhance the bonds of friendship and promote peace in Europe. At Voila, this combined team came together with local community leaders to donate several laptops and projectors that the school hopes to benefit greatly from. Lt. Col. Nicole Davis, the commander of the 926th Engineer Brigade spoke on the unique event.
"We presented the school with this audio-visual equipment to help provide more learning opportunities for the children. The freedom of education is essential to all people," said Davis, who represented American forces at the ceremony.
Upon arriving at the school, the Soldiers were greeted by a rush of children. Before they began moving the equipment inside, the Soldiers stopped to talk and take pictures with the students. From there they were greeted by teachers, school administrators and other local officials. Romanian Lt. Col. Nicolae Acasandrei, commander of the land forces training center at the Joint National Training Center Cincu, Romania, spoke on his admiration for days like this during the brief ceremony that saw the items transferred to the school.
"It's a privilege to be here with you all. We hope that events like this show that the Romanian and American relationship extends beyond our military worlds. It has been a pleasure to work closely with our Allies," he said.
The key message shared was the unity and friendship of the two nations and peoples. Smiles and laughs were shared between the teachers, Soldiers and students alike as they exchanged hugs, handshakes and goodbyes. The day's atmosphere was marked by its excitement for all parties involved, said Marcela Cocan, the English teacher at Voila Secondary School, as she looked to the future.
"These laptops and projectors will help us with teaching the children because we have a lot more digital options when it comes to books and curriculum. We are very enthusiastic about those possibilities," she said.
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