Photo By Maj. John Quin | Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 23, based in Fort Belvoir, Va., watch...... read more read more
LA LIMA, Honduras – Soldiers and Seabees joined the people of Oriente and Morales, Honduras for a ribbon-cutting celebration for a clinic and school, June 27.
Both projects were part of U.S. Army South’s Beyond the Horizon 2012 exercise, and promise to improve life in the small communities in La Lima, said Chief Petty Officer Chet Kowalski, of the Fort Belvoir, Va.-based Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 23.
“This project had meaning to it,” Kowalski said. “We’re very thankful we’ve been able to complete it.”
The task force commander, Missouri National Guard Lt. Col. Robert Jones, of Cape Girardeau, said these types of missions are a shot in the arm for the Soldiers, sailors and Airmen who get to participate.
“We have many missions,” Jones said. “I’ve been a soldier 37 years. Any time we have a mission to come down to Central America to work on projects like these, our Soldiers are very excited.”
In his remarks, Jones told the people gathered that troops from three branches and 15 states had participated in the overall mission. He also thanked nearby residents for their support of the Seabees as they did their work.
Beyond the Horizon Honduras is an Army South led exercise and is part of U.S. Southern Command’s humanitarian and civic assistance program. U.S. Army engineers and U.S. Navy Seabees are working with host nation personnel building medical clinics and schoolhouses for the local Hondurans.
The town had been without a medical clinic for some time, Kowalski said. Likewise, the school gives the areas children a modern schoolhouse to call their own.
For Petty Officer 2nd Class John Filbey, of York, Pa., the project was a great opportunity to improve his skills as a Navy engineer.
“I’ve worked in construction for 20 years, but working with people who specialize in different areas was really rewarding,” Filbey said. “And seeing how the townspeople reacted was gratifying. I’d do another mission like this in a heartbeat.”
Petty Officer 2nd Class LeAundra Toney, of Suitland, Md., was the quality control manager for both the school and bathroom outside. The project ran smoothly from beginning to end, Toney said.
“In the States, codes are very different for vertical and horizontal construction,” Toney said. “Here, things are a little different. We adjust what we normally do to what they wanted.”
For the Seabees, building the school and clinic were a chance to put their skills to good use.
“This is what we do,” Filbey said. “This is what we train on, what we thrive on. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be a part of.”
But the school and clinic weren’t the only things the Seabees built in La Lima, said Task Force Tropic Sgt. Maj. Scott Mayer, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.
“The Seabees have built quite a relationship with the community here,” Mayer said.
The overall Beyond the Horizon-Honduras mission is scheduled to end in early July.
For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog; www.pinterest.com/monationalguard/
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2012 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 90760 |
| Location: | LA LIMA, HN |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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