According to Bosman, these kinds of exercises are of great importance. “As a military, you look at you differently if you wear a uniform. You sometimes feel that in communication with people you are talking to.” By practicing on the street, reservists learn to deal with these interactions. “You then realize: I am a person, and I just talk to other people. That sounds obvious, but it is not always. And you only learn that by practicing.”
One of the reservists who runs through Coevorden today is Sanne. In daily life she works as a sports masseur, but today she crawls into her other role. “We try to chat with as many people as possible and build a bond,” she explains. It is her first exercise, and that takes some getting used to. “Of course you will be looked at immediately, because you look different. People find you interesting, but you also notice that there is a lot of openness and that is very nice.”
It is not only for the reservists; The residents of Coevorden also have to switch. Retailers and passers -by are curious about the soldiers. “What’s going on?” Asks someone with a worried look. A reservist smiles and makes a reassuring gesture with his arms: “There is nothing wrong, this is an exercise!”