Missouri Guard engineers build stone courtyard at Honduran school

Photo By Maj. John Quin | Missouri National Guard Spc. David Francis, of Versailles, Mo., hammers a stone block into place in a courtyard in a school in Cofradia, Honduras, on June 28. Francis was among a group of soldiers from the 1438th Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge) and 220th Engineer Company (Horizontal) of Festus, who were in Honduras as part of U.S. Army South’s Beyond the Horizon exercise, which trains service members in their military career field while providing humanitarian aid.  

COFRADIA, HONDURAS

06.29.2012

Story by 1st Lt. John Quin 

70th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

COFRADIA, Honduras – A small team of Missouri National Guard soldiers helped a school in Cofradia, Honduras, by building a stone walkway in its courtyard June 28.

The soldiers, from the 1438th Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), of Macon, and the 220th Engineer Company (Horizontal), of Festus, planned to level and cover more than 2,000 square feet of dirt with stone blocks, said Staff Sgt. Stephen Keene, of Columbia, Mo.

“There’s a lot more obvious progress in a project like this than our previous mission putting the finishing touches on the clinic in Quimistan,” said Keene, the site manager. “Here, there’s a clear point where you began and where you stopped.”

The soldiers are in Honduras as part of U.S. Army South’s Beyond the Horizon exercise. The exercise, which includes thousands of National Guard and Reserve personnel, combines military skills training in fields like engineering and medicine with humanitarian projects.

With the exercise set to wrap up in July, Keene and his team are on the final rotation. Much of what they have worked on so far has been finishing up other units’ projects, Keene said.

That is what made working on the school walkway so rewarding, said Spc. David Francis, of Versailles.

“At Quimistan, we did a lot of cleanup,” Francis said. “Here, it’s a new project. We can do our own thing. We’ve had the tools we need and it just keeps getting better.”

During a break, the soldiers made an interesting discovery. Embedded in a wall in the school, they found a plaque that says a portion of the school was built through a partnership between the Honduran and American governments in 1965.

Florida National Guard Sgt. Tania Solis, a translator with Company A of the 260th Military Intelligence Battalion, asked around about the plaque.

“The principal told me part of the school was built in 1965 by the U.S. military,” said Sgt Tania Solis, of Miami. “It’s been nearly 47 years now, but we’re back.”

Continuing the legacy of previous American outreach efforts underscored the importance of the mission for Pvt. Allison Elmore, of Salsbury, Mo.,

“It’s been an experience,” Elmore said. “I’ve enjoyed it. Knowing your helping people who actually need help is a great feeling.”

The Beyond the Horizon exercise concludes in early July.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog; www.pinterest.com/monationalguard/

For more information about this release, please contact the Missouri National Guard public affairs office at 573-638-9846 or by e-mail him at [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 06.29.2012
• Date Posted: 06.29.2012 23:48
• Story ID: 90906
• Location: COFRADIA, HN