Guatemala: Arkansas Air National Guard engineers build partnerships, medical facilities Courtesy Story

118th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TACTIC, Guatemala  -- Airmen with the Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Civil Engineering Squadron recently began constructing a key addition to a medical clinic in Tactic, Guatemala, as part of Beyond the Horizon 2012, a joint foreign military, humanitarian and civic assistance mission is led by U.S. Army South.

The 188th CES is currently in the middle of a three-team, six-week rotation and will spend most of its time constructing a 1,500 square foot structure at the Centro de Salud medical clinic that will function as a women's clinic and will include four exam rooms, one lab, three bathrooms, a maternity ward and a waiting room.

"We're extremely proud of our civil engineers and the great work they're doing in Guatemala," said Air Force Col. Mark Anderson, commander of the 188th Fighter Wing, the parent unit of the 188th CES. "Their professionalism, dedication and skill shows in everything they do. The construction they're accomplishing in Guatemala furnishes valuable training for our Airmen. It will also provide an important medical facility and function as a key community resource for many years to come."

The project greatly expands the medical capabilities of the clinic.

"We're doubling the size of the facility," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Ites, site project manager and a member of the Missouri Army National Guard’s 110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, who is overseeing the project. "It will give them the opportunity to see more people, which will also allow them to better focus their medical assets."

The Centro de Salud clinic has been open for more than 20 years but lack of space has hampered its ability to provide care for the local community.

"This will give them better opportunities to serve more people and expand their capabilities," said Master Sgt. Bob Haag, a heavy equipment operator with the 188th CES. "I'm humbled to have the opportunity to make the quality of life [in Tactic] better."

Hugo Hernandez, the clinic's director for the past eight months, said during his tenure the clinic has assumed a 24-hour operating schedule. Hernandez said the around-the-clock operation has led to a vast increase in patient admittances with numbers nearly tripling since 2009. He estimated that 25 percent of all Tactic citizens are now born at his clinic.

The clinic has struggled to keep up with the increasing number of patients, said Hernandez, who expressed his thanks for the U.S. support exhibited through the project.

"Last year, we only had three beds," Hernandez said. "To get this project done locally, especially this big and this quickly, would be very difficult."

Ites said the 188th CES will supply the bulk of the workforce and will be responsible for the majority of the site's progress.

And many in the unit are excited about the mission.

"This is a great opportunity to gain experience working with the people of Guatemala," said Senior Airman Lance Hobbs, a heavy equipment operator with the 188th CES.

The entire operation, which spans from April through July, will feature construction projects at two schools, construction of three medical clinics, establishment of a short-term veterinary aid station and establishment of several medical care points, each able to render aid to more than 500 Guatemalan civilians.