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Task Force Tropic medics help Hondurans

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Walter Van Ochten | Loud music plays over the PA system and a clown works hard to keep the young children...... read more read more

COFRADIA CORTES, HONDURAS

04.21.2012

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army South

COFRADIA CORTES, Honduras - Loud music plays over the PA system and a clown works hard to keep the young children entertained - for their parents and others the serious business of health care is underway. In small rooms just off to the side of the children’s party atmosphere, patients are seen by medical professionals.

Soldiers from Joint Task Force Tropic, commanded by Lt. Col. Robert L. Jones, are in Honduras to support Beyond the Horizon 2012. They helped local Honduran medical staff provide basic health care to citizens of Cofradia, Cortes, April 21.

The medics are U.S. Army Reserve soldiers from Detachment-1 and Bravo Company, 441st Ground Ambulance, 176th Combat Support Hospital, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and the 452nd Combat Support Hospital, 330th Medical Brigade, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis. They’re here with Beyond the Horizon on their two week annual training. They are assigned to staff the battalion aid station and work site ambulances.

Later, rotational Task Force Tropic annual training soldiers will be conducting two medical readiness training exercises and one dental readiness training exercise, both of which provide health services to locals, so the soldiers can sharpen their medical skills and help out the Honduran people in communities that need it.

Reserve soldiers here take advantage of a chance to work with the Honduran army’s’ 105th Infantry Brigade to get additional training beyond their normal duties. They helped in a free community event called “Medical Brigade of the Armed Forces sponsored by the Honduran army.”

“This was a great opportunity that kind of just fell in our laps.” Said Capt. John Hruska, Beyond the Horizon medical planner, 932 Field Surgical Hospital, 807th Medical Command, who will be supporting the mission for its’ duration. “We just found out about it a couple of days ago and I’m glad we did. Typically we’re the ones that provide the doctors, medics and medicines and they support us with additional personnel. With this it’s reversed, they provide the medical service with their doctors and medicines and we get to support them with the extra help. This demonstrates how we are working as a partnership for the benefit of the Honduran people.“

The “Medical Brigade of the Armed Forces” is a Honduran nationwide initiative that happens four times a year providing general medical treatment, podiatrists, dental, obstetrician, gynecological, pharmaceutical and pediatrics to areas in need of such services.

“They have treated a half million people over the last couple of years, is what they told me, so they do these type of events quite frequently” said Capt. Thaddeus Wiitanen, Beyond the Horizon officer in charge of the battalion aid station, 452nd Combat Support Hospital, 330th Medical Brigade, who hails from Appleton, Wis.

At the end of the day, after the music stopped and the clown left, the soldiers of the Beyond the Horizon worked with Honduran medical providers giving badly needed medical care to hundreds as well as legal assistance, donated clothing, even a haircut.

Beyond the Horizon 2012 is an Army South exercise deploying military engineers and medical  professionals in partnership with Honduras to conduct various medical, dental and civic action programs, providing focused humanitarian assistance.