Seabees Refurbish Kindergarten in El Salvador

By Lt. Matthew Comer, High Speed Vessel-Southern Partnership Station 2012 Public Affairs

LA UNION, El Salvador (NNS) -- Escuela de Educacion "Maria Luisa Marcia" honored U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 23 Seabees embarked aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV 2) Swift with a celebration ceremony Dec. 20.

The ceremony demonstrated appreciation for the completion of a seven-day construction project as part of HSV-Southern Partnership Station 2012 (HSV-SPS 12).

"The work the Seabees have done will improve the morale of the school," said Elba Martinez, the school's vice principal. "It will encourage the students and teachers to work harder because they will be proud of their school."

Project manager Utilitiesman 1st Class Bruce Nisbet led this project. The team of Seabees completed minor electrical and roofing repairs, refurbished the plumbing system around the school grounds and poured several pads of concrete.

"It's great to be here, helping local communities," said Nisbet. "Working with schools really reaches to the heart of the community and impacts several generations of children and parents."

The team also made repairs to the school playground. The Seabees rebuilt a ladder to the playhouse, reinforced the slide and secured several loose handholds on a climbing wall.

"Playgrounds are part of the kindergarten experience," said Equipment Operator 2nd Class Tyrif Wells. "As soon as we finished working on the structure, kids were swinging on the swings and sliding down the slide."

The Seabee project will affect more than 700 students attending the kindergarten. The students are between four and six years old and spend two years at the school before progressing.

This project was the third Seabee project in El Salvador, where U.S. Seabees have been working closely with Salvadoran service members who specialize in construction.

The construction project is one event during the three-week HSV-SPS 12 partnership with El Salvador. Service members from each of the armed services are working with the host nation partners, exchanging information regarding medical and veterinary practices, small unit leadership, and port security.

Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The mission's primary goal is information sharing with partner nation service members and civilians in the region.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) supports USSOUTHCOM joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.