New Horizons provides training, spreads goodwill

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Karen J. Tomasik
  • New Horizons Public Affairs
SAN VICENTE, El Salvador (AFPN) --  Nearly 600 U.S. servicemembers from every branch of the military are working together with Salvadoran military and civilian counterparts to improve communities with humanitarian-assistance projects.

The lead unit for the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored readiness training exercise, New Horizons 2005 -- El Salvador, is the 482nd Civil Engineer Squadron from Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla. The joint-service, multinational team is working together to build schools and clinics, and to provide free medical and veterinary care to people nearby.

Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Guard units, along with Army, Marine and Navy units, are participating in various aspects of the exercise, officials said.

“This exercise embodies the concept of the ‘total force’ of active duty, reservists and Guardsmen,” said Maj. William Riehl, exercise commander. “The reserve forces offer continuity and bring a lot of experience to the table since many perform the same duties in their civilian jobs, while the active forces bring real-world deployment experience gained from the current operations tempo.”

The scheduled projects include schools in the towns of Los Floras and La Esparanza and medical clinics in Santa Clara, Tepetitan and San Ildefonso. Three medical readiness training exercises will be held during the deployment where Air Force, Navy and Army medical teams will provide free medical and veterinary care.

“This exercise provides valuable mobilization and deployment experience,” said Capt. David Neuman, exercise vice commander. “It requires units to conduct the logistical operations to support deployments to remote regions. By bringing new facilities and free medical care to people in need, our engineers and medics strengthen their skills, strengthen ties between our countries and build a larger community of nations that can cooperatively meet the natural and man-made threats and challenges that face us all.”

The exercise in El Salvador is scheduled to continue through May 7. SOUTHCOM is currently conducting other New Horizons exercises in Haiti and Panama.