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KITGUM, Uganda — When the son of a Wolcottville woman stepped onto the orange-red soil of this Central African nation, he could have been walking into a National Geographic special presentation.
Surrounded by Africans living in grass-roofed mud huts that dotted the countryside, 550 American military members would bring modern medical science and medication, sweat equity and supplies to rebuild old, rundown schools, and an open textbook in sharing non-lethal military tactics that Eastern African armies could use to bring civil order during future times of trouble.
Navy Seaman Apprentice William H. Baird, the son of Wolcottville resident Jen Hein, recently spent a couple of weeks here supporting a military exercise that focused on humanitarian assistance to local Ugandans, along with cooperation between American troops and five area countries. Exercise Natural Fire 10 created friends and partners from the nations of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and the United States in a remote, austere region of Northern Uganda, just south of Sudan.
Baird is a steelworker with the Navy Mobile Construction Battalion, located in Port Hueneme, Calif. He came to this country to share his technical expertise.
“We’re here to rebuild a school and a dining facility,” said Baird. “We’re working hard to make sure the project gets finished in plenty of time.”
The exercise was led by U.S. Army Africa, but American participants included soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines from all over the globe.
Exercise highlights included American doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists working side-by-side with African partner militaries and providing care to more than 12,000 local Ugandans.
Two local schools and a hospital had construction renovation projects completed by U.S. Navy construction specialists. American Marines here were often covered in orange-colored soil following their daily interaction with the African armies. They taught non-lethal tactics such as crowd control, shared with the Africans in each other’s weaponry and practiced peacekeeping operations.
Baird and his American colleagues gained experience and learned about Africans in this remote place.
“It’s important for us to be here because these people need us and what we can bring to the table,” said Baird. “I hope to gain a lot of knowledge on how different cultures use different methods of construction.”
The United States Africa Command and its subordinate command U.S. Army Africa are available to deploy to Africa in support of a crisis. They exist to promote security, stability and peace in Africa. In recent years, Uganda has been subjected to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias and various government forces that extend across its borders. Uganda is a host to hundreds of thousands of regional refugees.
Exercise officials said the exercise partner nations have extremely capable military organizations and that American and African militaries are actively learning from each other.
Through experiences here, Baird developed his own impressions of Ugandan culture. “This place was really nice,” said Baird. “I thought it was going to be a desert, but there are trees and fields. The most unique experience I’ve had while I’ve been here is getting the opportunity to see a cobra in real life.”
Baird arrived in Africa with expertise based on his military career. He has been in the military for just over a year and plans to go back to college when his service contract is up.
Although the backdrop to this military exercise conjures visions of a place fit for a safari, the Americans who made their way to this remote African location were much more likely to see a sick child, a hammer or a defensive shield than a monkey. But by helping locals who may know where those monkeys are, a strengthened cooperation between peoples may help keep the region safe and free, for those who prefer to enjoy its natural beauty.
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