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More than 80 German and American students participated in Operation Spirit May 7 on Panzer Kaserne.
Twenty-one German students from Albert Schweitzer High School and 60 students from Kaiserslautern Elementary, Middle and High Schools took part in this annual event in order to promote relationships between American and German students.
This event, organized by the Sgt. Morales Club and the Special Troops Battalion, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, included discussions, demonstrations and hands-on activities.
The students were greeted by Sgt. 1st Class Marcus Mitchell, president of the Sgt. Morales Club and key organizer of the event. They also received a resilience briefing from Staff Sgt. Patrick Williams, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st TSC.
“Everybody here is already 100 percent resilient because you are sitting here today,” Williams said. “Resilience is your strength. The key to success is getting past the sad times.”
Lt. Col. Caprissa Brown-Slade., commander of the 21st Special Troops Batt-alion, and Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Mainor, sergeant major of the 21st STB, also welcomed the students and discussed the importance of building relationships with our host nation partners.
The students were filled with excitement as they assisted firefighters from the U.S. Army Fire Station East in putting out fires using fire extinguishers.
Autumn Collins, a junior at KHS, fulfilled a dream of hers by climbing into the cab of the fire truck.
“I’ve always wanted to see what this was like,” Collins said. “I really want to be a firefighter.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney Rhoades, the senior enlisted noncommissioned officer for the 21st TSC, also visited the students.
“You are here today to experience some of the amazing opportunities the Army has to offer that you may not have known about,” Rhoades said. “But your real mission today is to build relationships with each other. Building relationships is the most important thing we do here.”
Many other events took place that day. There was a demonstration by the dog handlers from the 100th Military Working Dog Detachment and their work dog, Valerie, as she apprehended a suspicious character.
Riggers from the 5th Quartermaster Theater Aerial Delivery Company awed the students by showing them how to properly fold and pack a parachute. Afterward, several students tried on the heavy packs.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Comm-and, demonstrated how their robots disarm a bomb. There was also a Soldier clothed in his hazardous material suit ready to recover the bomb if needed. All of the students had the opportunity to test out the robots and try on the suit.
After the event, student and adult participants felt that Operation Spirit had met its goal.
“This event was a great way to meet host nation students and have fun,” said Gracyn Redding, a
sixth-grader at KMS. “If you want to be a firefighter, dog handler or diffuse bombs, it was an excellent hands-on experience. I liked the robots.”
Heinke Balzulat, a member of German American Women’s Club and the organizer of the German students’ participation, felt that Operation Spirit was
terrific.
“This was a great day, especially for these German students,” Balzulat said. “They don’t know anything about the Americans in Germany.”
Kirsten Hage, school psychologist at KHS also agreed.
“Operation Spirit is aimed at supporting ‘Generation War,’” Hage said. “Many of these students have grown up having their parents deployed multiple times.”
Today’s event has shown them firsthand what highly trained professionals their parents are,” Hage continued. “The students learned about a variety of careers both in and out of the military. As young ambassadors, they made real connections today with German students, which enhance our host nation relationships.”
