Photo By Sgt. Michael Baltz | Capt. Signalda Olario, a senior leader in the Volunteer Corps Curaçao (VKC), received...... read more read more
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CAMP SUFFISANT, Willemstad, Curaçao (August 2, 2018) – A dozen Soldiers with the Florida Army National Guard (FLARNG) are partnering with a Dutch Knight during their trip to Curaçao, where they are participating in a joint subject-matter-expert exchange, July 30 – Aug. 3.
In April 2018, Capt. Signalda Olario, a senior leader in the Volunteer Corps Curaçao (VKC), received the Order of Oragne-Nassau, which is a chivalric order open to everyone who has earned special merits for society. Olario was knighted by the Royal House of the Netherlands and received a decoration for her selfless services on King’s day from the King of the Netherlands via the governor of Curaçao. Of the 93 decorations within the Kings authority, the Order of Oragne-Nassau is seventh.
With 35 years of being a volunteer member of the VKC, Olario, like her counterparts and subordinates, has never been compensated for her service. They all have other jobs or are students. They do it from the heart and for the love of country. Olario is a school teacher for kids with special needs at the local high school.
During her 30 years as a teacher, she has fostered 38 students in her own home to help ensure they complete school. One day, one of the kids wrote a letter to the king highlighting Olario’s selfless service. Olario also teaches kickboxing and boxing for free in her neighborhood in an effort to keep kids off of the streets.
“I have been helping all my life,” said Olario. “I love being in the military and helping my country. By being a volunteer, you want to do something out of your heart.”
Olario was originally tasked with creating the search and rescue platoon in the VKC and has sought ways to train her team to greater levels in order to prepare for when the island experiences a lot of rain, which brings floods and search and rescues are needed. This is the reason for her efforts to establish a relationship with the FLARNG.
“[Olario] is pretty amazing. You can tell she has worked hard to make this information exchange happen,” said Maj. Thomas Hettich, a medical officer with the FLARNG’s 48th Civil Support Team. “You can tell there is a lot more to her.”
Now, as a leader with the VKC, her goal is to serve the 180 members of the VKC and ensure they are equipped to proficient levels.
“Our dream is to have [the FLARNG] to come here once, or twice a year to help us have a better [search and rescue team],” said Olario.
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2018 16:46 |
| Story ID: | 287337 |
| Location: | CW |
| Web Views: | 95 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Florida National Guard Soldiers in the Presence of a Knight, by SGT Michael Baltz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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