Amerikan b’għeruq Maltin u jaħdem f’wieħed mill-bastimenti tal-forzi navali Amerikani.
Nathaniel Hayes, li għandu qrabatu Maltin, ilu tnejn u għoxrin sena jaħdem mal-ammiraljat Amerikan.
Iltqajna miegħu abbord il-USS Mount Whitney, bastiment Amerikan li bħalissa huwa sorġut fil-Port il-Kbir għal ftit jiem.
Hayes stqarr: “My earliest memory of my nannu was in the police force in Malta, which is why I joined the military. My earliest memory is him throwing me in the air.”
Spjega li b’Malta gżira fil-qalba tal-Mediterran, dejjem xtaq li jkun viċin tal-għeruq tiegħu: “A year ago I found out that there was an opportunity to come here so of course I signed up willingly and I get to come out and hoping.”
Ma setax jonqos li nsaqsuh dwar l-esperjenza tiegħu, hu u dieħel fil-Port li ra l-istorja ta’ pajjiżna tissawwar.
Hayes sostna: “Coming in and seeing the breakwaters and knowing the history you know, knowing how important this harbor is to the history of western civilization and knowing all of the history with the Ottomans and the Great Siege and then the World War 2 history with the Italians and the Germans and knowing how important it was and being able to sail through those myself was, that was amazing.”
Kompla jirrakonta li dawn il-jumejn fuq artna qattagħhom idur pajjiżna ma’ qrabatu u ma qagħadx lura milli jkewwes kelmtejn bil-Malti.
Huwa qalilna: “My nanna of course taught me ‘jien inħobbok ħafna’ or ‘jien inħobbkom ħafna’ and then my mom taught us some lullabys and things in Maltese, small words. I know ‘merħba’ which I was supposed to have said to welcome you onboard, and some other basic words.”
Il-bastiment li jservi fuqu Hayes serva rwol ewlieni fil-kampanja tan-NATO waqt il-gwerra ċivili fil-Libja fl-2011.
Għalkemm kapaċi tiddefendi lilha nnifisha b’armi u missili, l-uffiċjal kmandant tal-bastiment il-Kaptan Cassidy Norman spjega li l-bastiment iservi primarjament bħala ċentru ta’ komunikazzjoni u kordinazzjoni għall-bastimenti navali oħra fis-sitt flotta.
Huwa spjega: “We serve in the European theater, primarily as a command platform or a mobile communications ship for the several generals and admirals and their staffs who need a communication ship to plan or execute military operations so we have several engagements and exercises throughout the European theater and also we have a secondary mission of a diplomatic effort.”
Barra minn hekk il-bastiment Amerikan huwa attrezzat b’ħelikopter li jista’ jwettaq sorveljanza kif ukoll operazzjonijiet ta’ tiftix u salvataġġ.
