BELIZE CITY, Belize - A noncommissioned officer from Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C., has deployed to Belize in support of the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored New Horizons exercise.
Staff Sgt. Marcedes Fleming, a paying agent from Philadelphia, is responsible for paying local Belizean vendors who provide goods and services in support of the exercise.
Fleming, who has previously deployed to Iraq, is excited about being able to put all of her training to good use.
“Usually when finance deploys you deploy with other finance personnel,” Fleming said. “This is the first time that I’ve been the sole finance official so I get to really showcase all of the things that learn.”
The New Horizons exercise will benefit U.S. military personnel by providing valuable training that they cannot receive at home station because of the details and logistics it takes to execute an out-of-country deployment.
The process involves packing and prepping the right equipment and materials in the U.S., working with U.S. Transportation Command to have those items shipped from the U.S. to the exercise location, conducting the exercise itself and then redeploying home.
The other key benefit U.S. service members receive from New Horizons exercise is the opportunity to learn from and build partnerships with the exercise participants from the host nation's government and military forces.
“This deployment is all about building relationships,” she said. “Everyone depends on one another and we are able to form bonds with the community… it’s really all about the people.”