Navy SeaBees Team Up to Impact a Community

CONCHAGUA, EL SALVADOR

08.24.2016

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet

SPS 16 is a U.S. Southern Command directed operation planned by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/Commander, U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F). AFPs are specialized military teams from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 2, Navy Bureau of Medicine subordinate commands, and civilian personnel that focus on locally identified needs such as security, medical readiness, and improving community infrastructure along with creating strong ties with the civilian community. The AFPs are deployed from August 2016 to October 2016 to Honduras, El Salvador and Colombia in support of SPS 16.

The Construction Engagement Team is made up of Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133), Salvadoran Engineers, and medical personnel who are working together to construct a new community center and upgrade the existing park.

“We’ve been able to develop a partnership with the host nation workers to visibly improve the park,” said Lt. j.g. David Perez, assigned to NMCB 133. “We have also seen an outpouring of interest from people who live in the neighborhood and from local officers. I think the project has already been successful in strengthening our partnership with the community.”

With less than a month for the site to be prepped, the foundation poured, and the building finished, the Construction Team has been working long days with the hopes that the community center will be completed ahead of schedule.

“These guys are great,” said Steelworker Chief Petty Officer Antonio Chavez-Plata, assigned to NMCB 133. “We will have worked together for a year in October, but they have really come together as a team. They show up ready to work, they get along and the camaraderie is amazing. On and off the job these are the guys you want with you.”

The Seabees are constructing a new two-room community center and local teams are refurbishing the community pool and restrooms, along with creating new concrete walkways. While the projects are separate the teams work together on a small site and work sometimes overlaps. The day concrete was delivered everyone pulled together to ensure the foundation for the new building, walkways and planters were all poured and smoothed before the concrete could set.

“It’s great to be here, the country is beautiful and people are helpful, kind and hard working,” said Steelworker Second Class Moises Vargas, assigned to NMCB 133. “It’s interesting to see how they do things differently and they will ask us about how we do some things, the exchange of knowledge and learning from each other is an incredible experience.”

SPS 16 is an annual series of U.S. Navy deployments focused on subject matter expert exchanges with partner nation militaries and security forces in Central and South America and the Caribbean. U.S. military teams work with partner nation forces during naval-focused training exercises, military-to-military engagements and community relations projects in an effort to enhance partnerships with regional maritime activities and improve the operational readiness of participants.

• Date Taken: 08.24.2016
• Date Posted: 08.26.2016 14:32
• Story ID: 208321
• Location: CONCHAGUA, SV