Marines and NMCB 23 honored in Guatemala during HSV-SPS 12

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

PUERTO SAN JOSE, Guatemala (NNS) -- A recognition ceremony was held at Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta Aldea Magueyes in honor of U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 23 Seabees and U.S. Marine and Guatemalan construction specialists, Jan. 11.

The ceremony was held in appreciation for the completion of a 12-day construction project as part of High Speed Vessel-Southern Partnership Station 2012 (HSV-SPS 12).

"I would like to thank all the people involved, especially SPS-12 on behalf of the children in this community," said Byron E. Anavisca Sandoval, community president. "We are looking forward to this year because our children will get to enjoy the rewards of education because of the work done here."

The project was led by project manager Marine Staff Sgt. Mario Vargas, whose family emigrated from Guatemala to the U.S. The team of two Marines, 18 Seabees and 12 Guatemalan military construction specialists demolished and replaced the school and bathroom roofs and installed more than 300 feet of fencing and security wire.

"My father and family are from Guatemala and it has been an especially great experience for me," said Vargas. "I put everything in my heart into this school so the children here are able to learn as my children are able to learn."

The team also installed a new securable entrance, replaced the water purification system and painted the school. The improvements will allow the school to reopen after a flood forced its closure last year.

"It is a wonderful pleasure for me to see the transformation of this school," said Cmdr. Todd Smith, commanding officer NMCB 23.

"It is great to see the work NMCB 23, the Marines and our Guatemalan partners have done here and the difference it will make."

Parents, teachers, and children of the school, as well as Seabees, Swift service members, and representatives from the Guatemalan Pacific Naval Base attended the ceremony. In total, more than 70 people attended the occasion.

"When I was a student, I remember Sailors coming and doing what they are doing here," said Guatemalan Capt. Carlos Luis Sanchez, representative from the Guatemalan Pacific Naval Base. "To the children of public schools, this will give you the opportunity it gave me. Because of this, you will be able to reach your dreams."

This is the first of two construction projects in Guatemala, where Seabees and Marines have been working closely with Guatemalan partners to renovate local schools.

The construction project is one event during the two week HSV-SPS 12 partnership with Guatemala. 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 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 supports U.S. Southern Command 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.