Soldiers from the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion along with their counterparts in the Slovak military gifted ozone generators to a school in Martin, Slovakia, on February 12, 2021.

“We used to say a friend in need is a friend indeed,” said Marian Majer, the State Secretary of the Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic. “In the current situation impacted by a pandemic, this is doubly true. Therefore, I sincerely thank the representatives of the US Embassy for their help in the form of a gift to protect the health of our students."

Two-hundred and forty-five generators, supplied by a Slovak company, were presented to Aurel Stodola Elementary School to be used in the classrooms throughout the district.

“Moreover, it is important to have a bilateral cooperation between Slovakia and the United States,” Majer added. “This is our key ally, with whom we have a long-term and continuous cooperation at a high level, which continues today.”

There was an assessment done by the U.S. Civil Affairs Team in Martin which discovered an opportunity.
“We saw that children were losing the opportunity to learn in person and interact with each other,” said Capt. Madeline Gramling, 3232nd Civil Affairs Team commander. “This deficiency is something crucial for the development of children.”

The donation is to increase the safety of children and young people studying in primary schools through effective and regular disinfection of school classrooms and common areas to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“I want to take a moment to thank all the Soldiers in the Civil Military Information and Psychological Operations Centre for their great partnership with us,” Gramling concluded. “The relationship we have developed exemplifies our strong NATO relationship with one another.”