The National Defense Reserve is holding a two-day exercise in Assen. Not only to prepare reservists for a situation they might encounter, but also to enthuse citizens for the army.
“I like the variety. Here I am outside, physically busy. With people I have known for a year and a half now and with whom I have built up a relationship.” The 23-year-old soldier Redmar, wearing a beret and hung with a stab proof vest, holds his rifle loosely in both hands as he squints against the sun. Redmar is a part-time soldier. That is, he is a reserve. In daily life he studies psychology in Groningen.