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NUEVO CONSUMIDERO, El Salvador – A new rotation of U.S. service members arrived in El Salvador for the third iteration of a humanitarian and civic assistance mission to help the people here by building schools and providing medical aid.
One of the challenges facing the nations involved in the exercise is keeping continuity between the various rotations arriving and departing the country during Beyond the Horizon 2015, a joint humanitarian mission conducted by the U.S., El Salvador and partner nations.
On its third rotation, Task Force Northstar is making strides to complete its mission by completing the school being built here.
Second Lt. Shawn Connors, duration project manager, 622nd Civil Engineering Flight, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, said the greatest challenge that faces each rotation is falling in on a previous rotation’s work, done by different Reserve, Guard and active duty units from partner nations. However, he said those on the job appear to have little difficulty adapting to get the job done.
Connors said there is an explanation as to why this has not been a problem.
“When they fall into each other, a lot of the guys know each other, so they kind of give each other a heads up,” Connors said. “It’s always interesting to hear what their reactions are and what they expect and what they were expecting.”
Connors said he and his Salvadoran counterparts assist each rotation by keeping the continuity going.
“My role as the duration project manager is pretty much to be the grease between the wheels for all of the rotational leadership,” Connors said of being on the ground for the duration of the mission. “The Salvadoran 6th Engineers are here the entire time just like me, but they know how to do the work a lot better than myself. They’ll kind of school our guys up, and they’ll learn from them. That’s kind of the glue between all of the rotations.”
Connors said the mission consists of six different rotations, encompassing a total of 12 weeks of work between six rotations. Each unit serves in a two-week rotation to construct the schools. Each time one rotation completes its work, another unit falls on the previous unit’s.
Sgt. 1st Class Urban Warnert, a platoon sergeant with the 3rd Platoon, 492nd Engineer Company, out of Mankato, Minnesota, said although there was limited communication with the previous unit prior to their arrival, it is something they can adapt to.
“It’s not like we came in here totally blind,” Warnert said. “It’s going to be slow here at first. For the most part, what I can see are the Chileans and El Salvadorans are all eager to get going and to get stuff up and running, regardless of whatever elements we have here.”
Pvt. Noé Benjamin Peraza, an engineer with the Salvadoran construction battalion, had a similar take.
“When a new rotation comes in, there isn’t a lot of communication (beforehand between the U.S. and Salvadoran forces), but after a few days, we start talking and working well together,” said Peraza.
Peraza, who is working on the site for the duration of the mission, had a different notion on the main obstacle he faces. He said the aspect of working with U.S. service members rotating in and out, becoming friends with them and then having them leave is the hardest part.
“Just as you get to know someone, you have to say goodbye and start over with the next group,” said Peraza.
Differing in opinion, Connors said he enjoys seeing fresh faces every two weeks and the elements and demanding work is taken into account for the length of duration.
“I like the rotation system because every two weeks, I get a new set of soldiers who are excited and are raring to go, because by the end of this, the guys do work their butt off and get tired,” said Connors.
According to Connors, an earthquake destroyed the original school in Nuevo Consumidero, and the students have been attending classes about 50 yards away in a shanty building.
“Ever since then, they haven’t had a hard-standing school,” Connors said. “The existing school; it is just stick-built schools with corrugated metal roofing. That’s the entire structure.”
By building the school, Connors said he hopes the engineers take a couple of things home with them upon returning to their home stations.
“There two different aspects I want them to take out of it,” Connors said. “One: Engineering knowledge. I want them to get trained up on how to actually do the work. Equally important, I want them to work with the host nation and build a relationship. Ultimately, that’s the point of this is to build the relationship and provide a functional product for the school kids here.”
Warnert agreed.
“For the most part, a lot of them are going to pick up on different aspects of the construction MOSs,” Warners said. “We have a variety of MOSs in the platoon, whether it be equipment operators, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, in which in some point in time a lot of this stuff does cross over and tie in.”
Building new schools for the children of El Salvador is a rewarding experience for all those who have participated in this humanitarian mission. Connors said the kids of El Salvador are the reason.
“We want a product that we are proud of and we can say we gave it our best and we’re happy with what we are giving them,” Conners said.
Warnert said it has given him some pause to think about the situation.
“It makes me feel good. I mean in different parts of the world, there are a lot of people that are very unfortunate,” said Warnert. “Give them the right helping hand; try to do the right thing. They need help. Everybody deserves happiness and you’ve got to get something started in order to get that going.”
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2015 17:19 |
| Story ID: | 161826 |
| Location: | NUEVO CONSUMIDERO, SV |
| Hometown: | DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, GA, US |
| Hometown: | MANKATO, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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