Photo By Sgt. Frank Zuniga | Soldiers from 3rd Platoon 1430th Engineer Company from the Michigan Army National...... read more read more
ZACAPA, Guatemala - Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, 1430th Engineer Company, Michigan Army National Guard, the Number 8 Chiloe Engineer Regiment, 4th Division, Chilean army and the Construction Company, Corps of Engineers of the Guatemalan army continued construction on a three-room schoolhouse being built here Friday, May 9 in support of Beyond the Horizon 2014 – Guatemala. Beyond the Horizon exercises deploy U.S. service members to remote communities in Central America and the Caribbean where they build schools, clinics, bridges, roads and other vital infrastructure; and assist in enhancing the capabilities of partner-nation forces.
The project is ahead of schedule and will be complete well before Beyond the Horizon ends on June 28. 3rd Platoon is in charge of setting up the roof and the electrical systems during their tour that ends on Friday, May 16.
“Things are coming along nicely,” said Spc. Dejian J. Dean an Interior Electrician with 3rd Platoon 1430th EC. “We’ve been coming out here and have been getting things done,” said Dean.
The 1430th leadership is proud of how things are progressing at the work site.
“Some of these folks have been deployed together and know the rhythm of how things should go,” said Sgt. 1st Class Clinton C. Carlson, the Construction Supervisor with 3rd Platoon 1430th EC. “They’re more than capable of handling anything that goes their way,” stated Carlson.
The soldiers of the1430th also get a chance to work with engineers from other nations.
“It’s definitely something that’s going to take team work and a lot of effort to finish in the time given,” said Sub Lt. Carlos Urriaga Hidalgo, an engineer officer with Number 8 Chiloe Engineer Regiment 4th Division Chilean army. “Everyone’s confident that it will get done and it’ll get done properly,” said Hidalgo.
The biggest obstacle the engineers face is the language barrier, but even that has not affected their performance. Although only one of the partner nation soldiers is bilingual, they know and understand what needs to be done.
“Construction engineers do this type of work daily. They do everything from offices to warehouses,” said Cabo Primero Miguel Diaz Lara, a construction engineer also with Number 8 Chiloe Engineer Regiment 4th Division Chilean army.
Although there’s a lot of difference on how things are being done here, there are also a lot of similarities they share.
“Their personnel are very well trained in using machinery, but they also know how to do things traditionally. It’s similar to how Chilean engineers work or train, but less machinery is involved,” said Hidalgo.
Another difference between groups is how personnel are assigned to tasks.
“There’s no job specialization on the Chilean side of things. Everyone does a little bit of everything - be it electrical, plumbing or whatever the case may be,” said Cabo Primero Diogenes Catalan Iglesias, also a construction engineer with Number 8 Chiloe Engineer Regiment 4th Division Chilean army.
Through all the communication and work differences, Hidalgo is happy to be able to make life better for people in this area.
“The school is something that’s really needed in the community. It’s great to be part of something that’s improving the conditions for people out here,” commented Hidalgo.
Lara finds it rewarding to be part of Beyond the Horizon.
“Poverty is something real in this country. There’s a difference between seeing in TV to seeing it in real life. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to come out here and help these people, to be part of something that encompasses so much more than a single person,” said Lara.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2014 18:40 |
| Story ID: | 130391 |
| Location: | ZACAPA, GT |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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