Photo By Staff Sgt. Luke Wilson | Massachusetts Army National Guard Spc. Ismaela Rodriguez, Headquarters and...... read more read more
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NAIROBI, Kenya – U.S. Army Spc. Ismaela Rodriguez is a transportation management coordinator with Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 164th Transportation Battalion, Massachusetts National Guard in Boston, Mass. She also works full-time as a recruiter assistant and personal trainer.
Rodriguez joined 1,000 participants in Kenya for exercise Justified Accord 2023 (JA23), U.S. Africa Command’s largest military exercise in East Africa. The exercise enhances regional security, multinational crisis response and interoperability for peacekeeping missions.
“My role here is similar to what I do back home,” shared Rodriguez. “I'm the movement specialist for participants traveling between exercise locations.”
Her role involves the facilitation of ground and air movement between Nairobi and Isiolo, as well as between airports and exercise locations. Ground transport between the two Kenyan cities takes nearly seven hours and everyday there are movement requests necessitating detailed coordination.
“I had the chance to work with a logistic specialist from Kenya supporting JA23,” said Rodriguez. “Working with him has been awesome.”
She shared that she was able to see how Kenyans plan and organize transportation, including the methods they utilize to ensure training goes smoothly. She felt great about her multinational team’s efforts because they worked together to improve the overall process.
This is not her first experience moving from one country to another.
Although she lives in Boston now, Rodriguez was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the U.S. when she was 10 years old.
“This is my first time in Africa,” she shared. “But I honestly felt like I was in the Dominican Republic when I arrived. The similarities are very high, from the food, to the way people interact and treat each other.”
One of the JA23 goals is to strengthen relationships with multinational partners. Due to her role in the exercise, Rodriguez experienced this more than most participants.
“I had the chance to interact with almost all the participating countries,” shared Rodriguez. “Everyone is very kind and willing to teach you about where they are from and their traditions.”
With nearly 20 nations from four continents participating in the exercise, the cultural and military exchange has left a positive impression on Rodriguez.
“My experience in Kenya has been nothing but great,” she added.
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2023 07:10 |
| Story ID: | 438778 |
| Location: | NAIROBI, KE |
| Hometown: | SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS, DO |
| Hometown: | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 295 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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