Alaskan team thaws in Honduras

  • Published
  • By Capt. Mike Chillstrom
  • New Horizons 2006-Honduras
LA CEIBA, Honduras (AFPN) --  Imagine you’re a penguin, living happily in minus 40-degree temperatures. Suddenly you’re thrust into the tropical climate of a parrot, where anything below 80 degrees is considered cool. 

That shock to the system is essentially what happened to 17 Airmen from the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron at Eielson Air Force, Alaska. The squadron is one of five civil engineer units deployed here in support of New Horizons 2006-Honduras, a joint training exercise between the Honduran and U.S. governments.

“The first week was pretty hard,” said Tech. Sgt. Tim Parault, a heavy equipment operator. “You adapt, but it’s tough.”

Surprisingly, the 120-degree temperature difference wasn’t the biggest challenge for the Alaskan Airmen, whose mission is to build a three-room school in the small village of El Cacao.

“When we first arrived here, the local people told us that our job site was a pond five or 10 years ago,” said 2nd Lt. Sean Stapler, officer in charge of the 354th team. “The site was partially excavated, but it had filled up with water. Basically, we had a pool with two-and-a-half feet of water in it. This was our main challenge.”

Workers sank eight inches with every step in the soggy clay ground. In fact, some people thought the 354th would have to find a new plot of land if El Cacao was to ever get its new school.

Before abandoning the site, the team’s last-ditch effort was to build five 12-feet de-watering wells and use a pump to remove the excess water. The plan worked.

“We pumped over a half million gallons of water,” Lieutenant Stapler said. “Then we brought in 1,200 cubic meters of fill to get the site ready for construction.”

The labor-intensive process put the unit weeks behind schedule. Once they had a dry, hard surface to build on, the 354th began operating at full speed.

The unit, which lays about 220 concrete blocks a day, has already completed more than 50 percent of its concrete block work and expects to begin roof work within a couple weeks. Simultaneously, a large leech field for the septic system will be created.

From there, the 354th will install doors, windows, electrical and plumbing systems, and apply a fresh coat of paint. All construction is expected to be finished in late April.

When completed, the El Cacao school will have three classrooms, several storage rooms and latrines, said Lieutenant Stapler. At 100-by-28 feet in size, it’s the largest of the five construction projects associated with New Horizons 2006-Honduras.

“The school will have a lot more space (than other local schools). This is a big step up for them,” said Staff Sgt. Marvin Mack, electrician.

About 480 students and their families will be affected by the new school.

For the Eielson team, this project has allowed its members to hone their building skills and give something back to the local community. When the 354th arrived in early February, the local people played a key role in mapping out existing water lines to get the project underway.

“The local people have been really supportive. They’ve even cooked for us,” Lieutenant Stapler said. “We have kids hanging around here all the time, so we know what we’re doing is helping them out.”

When completed in May, the Joint Task Force responsible for New Horizons 2006-Honduras will have built four schools, a maternity clinic and provided free medical care at 14 different locations in and around the coastal city of La Ceiba. New Horizons is a readiness training exercise sponsored by U.S. Southern Command.