Engineers lay Final concrete block

Photo By Staff Sgt. True Thao | Members of the 322nd Engineer Company out of Decorah, Iowa, assigned to Task Force Larimar, stand in front of a school infrastructure as Spc. Kimberly Storey, a native of St. Charles, Minn., prepares to lay the last concrete block at a construction site during the humanitarian civic assistance mission Beyond the Horizon 2014 (BTH) at Barahona, Dominican Republic, May 14. Engineer units assigned to Task Force Larimar are building schools and medical clinics for the local residents of Barahona. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. True Thao, 364th Press Camp Headquarters, Task Force Larimar)  

BARAHONA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

05.15.2014

Story by Sgt. True Thao 

364th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

BARAHONA, Dominican Republic – The 322nd Engineer Company out of Decorah, Iowa, assigned to Task Force Larimar is finishing up their two-week rotation as part of the humanitarian civic assistance mission Beyond the Horizon 2014 (BTH) in Barahona, Dominican Republic. Members of Task Force Larimar are building schools and clinics for the local citizens as part of BTH, which is sponsored by the United States Army South, providing humanitarian assistance to various Latin American countries.

The U.S. Army reservist laid the last concrete block of a school being built at Pescaderia, Barahona, Dominican Republic. The engineers participated in BTH as part of their annual training to hone their skills and to learn different tasks. The 322nd, along with other engineer units, came here to pick up where two previous rotations left off.

“The third rotation's mission was to go from the sixth course of block up to the last course, which is the 15th course of block,” said Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy Malchow, a project manager with Task Force Larimar. “The third rotation did an exceptional job.”

As the 322nd finish their mission, they will begin setting up equipment for the incoming rotation, setting them up for success.

“They are assembling and setting up the trusts for the roof system so the fourth rotation can follow on with the completion of the roof and start on the interior electrical,” said Malchow.

Participating in BTH has been very beneficial for the 322nd. Not only did it give them a chance to learn different skills, but it also gave them the chance to work with engineers of the host nation.

“I enjoyed working with the engineers here,” said Spc. Justin Smith, a native Sumner, Iowa, with the 322nd, assigned to Task Force Larimar. “It was a good experience working with them.”

As the 322nd gets ready to head home, they will leave with newly acquired skills while participating in BTH. This gives them the opportunity to share experience to other member back at their home station.

“The soldiers benefited from this mission by acquiring new skills that they didn't have, such as laying blocks and mixing the mortar,” said Malchow.

With BTH continuing until the end of June, incoming engineer units will arrive to finish the construction projects in hopes of accomplishing the overall mission.

• Date Taken: 05.15.2014
• Date Posted: 05.16.2014 15:22
• Story ID: 130102
• Location: BARAHONA, DO
• Hometown: CEDAR RAPIDS, IA, US
• Hometown: DECORAH, IA, US
• Hometown: ST. CHARLES, MN, US
• Hometown: STEWARTVILLE, MN, US
• Hometown: SUMNER, IA, US