CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Marines and sailors from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade are putting roofs over the heads of students in a disaster-stricken town in Albay province, Philippines.

Last weekend, they held a dedication ceremony after finishing work on the roofs of two buildings at the Marcial O. Ranola Memorial School in the village of Guinobatan. The buildings were damaged last year when Super Typhoon Reming tore through the area, leaving thousands homeless. The storm left the school with room for only half of its students.

“We do this from the true feelings of good will from me to you,” Brig. Gen. Joseph V. Medina, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, said Saturday at the dedication ceremony, according to a Marine Corps press release.

“Time and again, it has been proven that when the Philippines are facing a crisis, the Americans are always the first to come to our aid,” said town mayor Juan Garcia, according to the release.

In addition, five pallets of relief supplies donated by Okinawa-based Marines and sailors and their families were delivered to occupants of the nearby Travesia transition camp. The camp’s residents lost their homes and their possessions during the typhoon.

In addition to the work at Guinobatan school, the Marines and sailors repaired facilities at an elementary school in Legazpi city and provided medical care at six evacuation and transition camps throughout Albay province.

The civic action projects were part of last week’s Operation Goodwill, in which the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and sailors from the San Diego-based USS Comstock participated.

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