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Continuing Promise 2010, Partners Leave More than Memories in Guyana

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101022-01
10/22/2010

By By Lt. Jaccqui Barker, Continuing Promise 2010 Public Affairs

BLACKBUSH, Guyana (NNS) -- U.S. Marine helicopters with the Continuing Promise 2010 (CP10) mission moved 24 pallets of supplies worth more than $136,000 outside the Corentyne School in Blackbush, Guyana Oct. 19.

The pallets contained medical supplies, water filters and infant disaster response kits.

The regional district chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha, and the New Amsterdam Rotarian president, Rohan Marray, were on hand to witness the event and accept the donations.

"Thank you for these contributions," said Mustapha. "This is a great thing the U.S. is doing for the people of Guyana."

"This is a great contribution to the community," said Marray.

The Marine aircraft, MH-64E, are used for CP10 to move cargo and personnel to medical, engineering and Project Handclasp donation sites. They are the primary mode of transportation for the more than 1,500 U.S. and Foreign Service members and civilian non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives who support the CP10 mission.

CP10 is a humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) mission that provides medical, engineering, veterinarian, subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) and community relation services to host nations. CP10, a U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) mission is reaching the shores of eight Central American countries via the large deck, multipurpose amphibious ship, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7).

Just outside the Project Handclasp donation site, U.S. Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 (NMCB 7) Construction Maintenance Building Unit (CBMU) 202 and U.S. Marines from the Special Purpose, Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) pounded nails and dug post holes as they conducted engineering renovation projects at the Corentyne school.

"Guyana is great," said Lt. j.g. Kelly Stevens, officer in charge, NMCB 7 CBMU 202. "This is one of three engineering sites where we are working here in Guyana. The people of Guyana have been wonderful to us and the country is so beautiful. We are happy to be here!"

At the Corentyne school, Seabees and Marines are renovating classrooms, repairing electrical fixtures, installing new lights, repairing a basketball court, and overall attempting to improve the quality of life for students at that school. At the two other engineering sites, Seabees are building a food processing facility that will include air conditioning and working with a local contract to repair an incinerator.