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Seabees Complete Construction Project with Peruvian Joint Forces Command

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS121221-07
12/21/2012

By Lt. Kevin Keenaghan, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 27 Public Affairs

HUAYTARA, Peru (NNS) -- Three Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 27 departed the town of Huaytara, Peru, Dec. 13 following the successful completion of a four-month subject matter expert exchange with military engineers from the Peruvian Joint Forces Command.

The Seabees and Peruvian engineers constructed a 2,200 square foot auditorium as part of a joint exercise overseen by the U.S. Military Advisory and Assistance Group (MAAG) Peru and funded by the U.S. Southern Command Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative. Constructed from brick, masonry block, and reinforced concrete, and finished with drywall, drop ceilings, carpeting, and lush landscaping features, the auditorium will be mainly utilized by the local school but is also capable of serving as an earthquake shelter for Huaytara's residents.

Chief Builder Glenn Kohles, Construction Electrician 1st Class Daniel Johnson, and Builder 2nd Class Jorge Gaitan were already veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom prior to being recalled to active duty in July to support U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet missions in South and Central America. With a combined total of four deployments to Iraq and three deployments to Haiti, the Seabee team was no stranger to challenging construction projects in contingency environments. The peacetime operations in Huaytara afforded them a welcomed opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities at deliberate planning and quality control.

'During nineteen years of service, I have done tours of duty in both Haiti and Iraq. Doing contingency construction is a big difference from what we did here,' said Kohles. 'During contingency construction, you build quickly and safely. Here in Huaytara, we taught the Peruvians that you can still build quickly and safely but with a high level of quality.'

Lt. Cmdr. Richard Reyes, foreign affairs officer and the Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) and Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA) manager at the U.S. MAAG Peru, discussed the quality of work performed during the construction exercise.

'Having dealt with numerous civic action construction projects in Peru as the HAP and HCA manager in the MAAG, I am extremely impressed with the construction quality of this auditorium and the professionalism demonstrated by these Seabees. The 'Bees delivered a project that surpasses any HCA construction I've seen in Peru in an austere environment and at the same time prepared the Peruvian engineers for their coming deployment to Haiti,' said Reyes.

'I can't say enough about what these Seabees accomplished, not only with the construction project in Huaytara, but more importantly with building relationships with the local community and our Peruvian military counterparts. It's amazing what three very motivated Seabees can do.'

The same sentiment was echoed by Rear Adm. George W. Ballance, director of Theater Engagement at the United States Southern Command, who visited the site Dec. 6.

'The project offered the unique opportunity to train Peruvian engineers preparing to deploy in support of a United Nations peacekeeping mission while providing an outstanding facility to the great townspeople of Huaytara,' said Ballance.

Despite an aggressive schedule and the inevitable logistical hurdles that come from running a construction project 9,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains, Kohles and his team found time during their off-hours for a significant number of volunteer community relations projects. Earlier in the mission, the team repaired and renovated Huaytara's town fountain in preparation for the town's anniversary celebration. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, they repaired a damaged gate at the local hospital. Johnson spent several evenings upgrading electrical services and repairing faulty wiring for the town's residents. Finally, the team constructed a volleyball court for the town's children near the new auditorium, leaving a lasting memory of the team and its experiences in Peru.

'Starting at the personal level, these Navy Seabees have woven themselves into the community of Huaytara and have significantly strengthened the relationship between the US and Peru,' said Michael Fitzpatrick, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the United States in Lima, Peru.

The Seabees participated in an inauguration ceremony for the auditorium, Dec. 12, during which custody of the building was formally transferred to the town of Huaytara. It represented a mutual celebration of the hard work and dedication shown by all of those who contributed to the success of the construction project.

As part of the ceremony, the team was treated to a traditional dance by the town's children on the newly constructed stage in the auditorium. Following the ceremony, the sight of Huaytara's students enjoying their new volleyball court left the Seabees with a well-earned sense of pride at their contributions to the town.

'During our last night here, we had families running out to thank us for all we did for the town of Huaytara,' said Kohles. 'This has been a great deployment and I know we made a great name for all branches of military here in Peru.'

USNAVO/C4F employs maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations in order to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships that foster regional security in the USSOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility.