Task Force Jaguar recognizes mothers at Beyond the Horizon 2017 medical event

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Houston | Col. John Simma, a Charlotte, a North Carolina native who serves as the commander for JTF Jaguar for Beyond the Horizon 2017, flys in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to San Ignacio, Belize, May 14, Mother's Day, to show support and recognition for the mothers who have been working hard during the ten-day medical readiness event. The visit was a surprise, and the mothers were individually gifted and thanked for their sacrifice of being away from their children on their special day. (US Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Houston)  

SAN IGNACIO, BELIZE

05.14.2017

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Houston 

128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SAN IGNACIO, Belize – For the past week, six to seven hundred patients have been flowing in and out of a medical readiness event in San Ignacio, Belize, May 14. Mother’s Day, was no different until about mid-afternoon when the leadership of Task Force Jaguar flew into the city on a UH-60 Black Hawk to recognize mothers working as part of Beyond the Horizon 2017 mission.
“Today we are flying to San Ignacio to visit the mothers at the medical exercise and to recognize the mothers who are in support of the event,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Angel Rivera, a native of Puerto Rico,s who serves as the command sergeant major for BTH 2017. “These ladies are Soldiers, but they are also mothers and they are away from their families and we need to recognize them for that,” Rivera added.
Leadership presented a small teddy-bear in a mug along with a message of appreciation from BTH 2017 individually to each mother on her special day.
“It’s a small token, but it shows them that we’re aware and appreciate them as mothers while they’re down here,” said Col. John Simma, the commander of the 210th RSG, who also serves as the commander of TF Jaguar, and BTH 2017.
Simma went on to explain that sometimes in a deployed environment Soldiers can get entrenched in their work and forget their own worth.
“We’re hoping this will give them a feeling that we care. Everybody has their own support system, but we want them to know that we’re an extension of that and we notice the work they do,” Simma said.
Rivera went on to explain how mothers are important and a crucial part in the development of children.
“Being a mother is like having two full-time jobs,” Rivera explained. “A lot of times mothers will come home from their day jobs and start a whole new one with their kids. I’m grateful for my mother; she was a strong woman, and I’m grateful for all women who are mothers and for all mothers who serve as Soldiers.”
Not only did the command team recognize the mothers, but Mr. Earl Trapp, the city mayor of San Ignacio, invited the mothers serving at the medical event to attend a celebration of motherhood the night before.
“There was live music, good food and just a nice feeling,” said 2nd Lt. Danielle Meyer, an Evanston Wyoming native, who serves as a nurse for the Wyoming National Guard Medical Detachment. “It was a lot of fun to celebrate motherhood with the mothers of San Ignacio, and the city mayor was nice enough to recognize us that we were here to help them, and be away from our families.”

• Date Taken: 05.14.2017
• Date Posted: 05.18.2017 21:57
• Story ID: 234395
• Location: SAN IGNACIO, BZ
• Hometown: SAN JUAN, PR
• Hometown: CASPER, WY, US
• Hometown: CHARLOTTE, NC, US
• Hometown: CHEYENNE, WY, US
• Hometown: FORT LARAMIE, WY, US