• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Seabees Spearheading Honduran School Project

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060228-08
Release Date: 2/28/2006 12:54:00 PM

By Air Force Capt. Mike Chillstrom, New Horizons 2006-Honduras Public Affairs

LA CEIBA, Honduras (NNS) -- Seventeen Navy Seabees and six Honduran military engineers are building a primary school in February here as part of New Horizons 2006-Honduras, a joint training exercise between the U.S. military and the Honduran government.

The Seabees, deployed here from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 in Gulfport, Miss., will build a school in El Pino, a community that currently sends more than 200 children to an existing two-room schoolhouse.

The Seabees’ mission is to construct a new two-room school with a bathroom and a well, adjacent to the existing school. The new school will both alleviate overcrowding and provide an upgrade in facilities.

“The new school will definitely help the local people,” said Utilitiesman 2nd Class (SCW/FMF) Dennys Colodro. “Just adding a well and providing fresh water will be a big help.”

Community support has been overwhelming, Colodro said. Several local workers have offered to work for free because they know the school will help their children, he added.

“We’re happy to be in Honduras because we know we’re doing something for the community that will affect them for a long time,” said Steelworker 1st Class Jeremy Rich (SCW/FMF), El Pino site project manager.

Until the time comes to cut a ribbon signifying the opening the school, a lot of work needs to get done. Within the week, the Seabees will finish all excavation and start work on the school’s foundation. The crew expects to start laying block, or construction masonry units (CMU), next week.

“This deployment is definitely going to help us with our CMU block skills,” said Rich. “Normally we build wood or steel structures. Working with CMU isn’t a skill we get to regularly use, so this is a great training environment for us.”

The Seabees will strengthen many of the beams throughout the building using a process called ‘core filling,’ meaning they will fill the blocks with concrete. The school will be one of the strongest buildings in the community, a susceptible area that was hit hard by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

When the construction is completed in late April or early May, the school will have complete electrical and plumbing systems and be a welcomed addition to the El Pino community.

“We want to make sure we build a great product and we’re able to walk away knowing that we did a good job,” said Rich. “It’s a pride thing for us.”

Working hand-in-hand with Honduran military engineers is another important aspect of the New Horizons mission.

The Honduran engineers, who are trained in carpentry and masonry, are ready to help out and be a big part of the project, Colodro said.

“The language barrier is a little difficult sometimes,” said Rich. “But the Hondurans are learning from the techniques that we use, and we’re learning from them. The camaraderie’s good.”

Despite a few weather and logistical delays, the El Pino school project is expected to be completed on time.

“The Seabees history has always been ‘Can do,’” said Rich. “We’re often faced with a lot of different tasks, and we’ve had some difficulties in getting this project off the ground, but our motto is always ‘Can do.’”

New Horizons 2006-Honduras is a joint training exercise between the U.S. military and the Honduran government that will improve the quality of life for the local people. When the exercise concludes in May, the Joint Task Force here will have constructed a maternity clinic, four schools and provided free medical care at 14 different locations in and around La Ceiba.