U.S. Military builds new classrooms
In wartime they build bridges, airfields, and barracks in a matter of days. Here in peaceful Belize the U.S. military is using that expertise to construct schools. News Five’s Kendra Griffith today joined the top brass for a tour of the educational battlefield.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
This morning Brigadier Generals, Lloyd Gillett, Commander of the Belize Defence Force; Ken Keen, Commander of the United States Army South; and Frederick Rudeshiem from the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff boarded a Blackhawk helicopter bound for the New Horizons projects in Orange Walk and Hattieville.
Brig Gen. Lloyd Gillett, Commandant B.D.F
“They are here visiting the projects where we have members of the U.S. armed forces and the Belize Defence Force buildings four two-classroom school buildings in Hattieville, Carmelita, Crooked Tree and Trial Farm.”
Constructing the eighteen hundred square foot building at Trial Farm in Orange Walk are the Navy Seabee’s of Gulfport, Mississippi.
B.U.2. Andrew Brandmeier, Crew Leader, Trial Farm
“Things are going very well here. We are ahead of schedule. No problem with the construction so far, everything’s been going great.”
B.U.2. Andrew Brandmeier is the Crew Leader of the sailors currently working on site.
B.U.2. Andrew Brandmeier
“The outside walls that you see going up behind me are actually made of a composite plastic material. They are reinforced with rebar steel and they’ll be filled with concrete to create a very strong wall system that can hold up against very strong winds.”
The U.S. military personnel are not going at it alone, however, and are being assisted by Belize Defence Force.
Brig. Gen. Lloyd Gillett
“At every project site we have eight B.D.F. combat engineers assisting with the building programme, but we also have B.D.F. providing security at the different sites. And so our contributions is basically soldiers to help build and to make the site secure. We also use it as an opportunity to train the B.D.F. soldiers in new building techniques.”
One of those Belizeans is Private Enrique Baizar.
Private Enrique Baizar, B.D.F.
“In construction work, mostly we deal with cement, but this is not like the cement work we expected to do, hard work. It’s not very hard, but very different from what we expected to do.”
Kendra Griffith
“Think it’s easier this way?”
Private Enrique Baizar
“Yeah, easier this way.”
Kendra Griffith
“Because it’s like you’re doing blocks right?”
Private Enrique Baizar
“Lone slabs, then after that we cast inside it, so it’s not like when we are laying blocks in Belize. So it’s easier for us, this kind of building.”
Although we didn’t land in Carmelita and Crooked Tree, a flyover revealed that construction is progressing at those two sites. The foundations are already laid and walls are beginning to go up.
At Hattieville, the 844th Engineer Battalion from Chattanooga, Tennessee was just as hard at work on their building.
2nd Lt. Matt Carboni, Officer in Charge, Hattieville Site
“We are about thirty-five percent complete right here. Right now we are just getting the walls built up, constructing that, getting the brace off so here in a couple days we will be able to pour concrete into them and let that cure for a couple days and then put the roof on top of it.”
Kendra Griffith
“So you all are like way ahead of schedule?”
2nd Lt. Matt Carboni
“We are about five or six days ahead of schedule as of right now”
The men have been toiling in the sun since March ninth, but say they are holding up well.
B.U.2. Andrew Brandmeier
“It’s somewhat similar to what we are accustomed to back home, maybe a little hotter, but the humidity level is about the same, so it’s not so bad.”
2nd Lt. Matt Carboni
“We’ve grown accustomed to it as best as we can. We are drinking lots of water though.”
And as the soldiers and sailors work, they do so under the watchful and eager eyes of a constant stream of students.
Private Enrique Baizar
“Now how the school is going up, all of them are saying, that is my class, that is my class. Everyone wants to be in here now.”
Just as happy about the construction are the administrators and faculty. For Hattieville Government School, this is the second time that the New Horizons project is giving them classrooms.
Onesimo Pech, Teacher, Hattieville Government School
“As teachers we are very happy, the administration, naturally we are very happy that we have the building being put up right now. There is a need for the extra classrooms. I think it will help because with this extra two classrooms we will be able to have a larger intake in the new coming school year, definitely for one.”
Also liking what he’s seeing is Brigadier General Ken Keen.
Brig. Gen. Ken Keen, Commander, U.S. Army South
“U.S. Army South executes New Horizons on behalf of U.S. Southern Command. We are currently working both in Guatemala and Panama as well as here in Belize.”
“It’s a great satisfaction to see the work in progress. It’ll be even better to come back and see all the schools built, the school teachers and the children here inside the buildings once they are complete.”
That satisfaction will come on May eighteenth, which is when the buildings are scheduled to be handed over to the managers. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
The two U.S. generals left Belize this evening.
