Photo By Sgt. Clay Beyersdorfer | Pfc. Terrance Broussard enjoys some down time after a long day working as an engineer...... read more read more
Subscribe
NACO, Honduras – For Pfc. Terrance Broussard, a carpentry and masonry specialist with the 272nd Engineer Battalion out of Angleton, Texas, leaving the U.S. for the first time as a National Guard soldier was at first, a bit nerve-wrecking.
Broussard, a Houston native, didn’t know quite what to expect as he headed for Central America.
“To be honest I was a little nervous coming down here, I had heard some different things about what Honduras was like and wasn’t sure what I was going to see or what the people were going to be like” Broussard said. “It’s Honduras; it’s a whole different world.”
As Broussard got to work and was able to see the country as well as the local Honduran people with his own eyes, the nervousness quickly went away.
“It’s really not that bad, the weather is nice, I’m from Texas so I’m used to it being hot this time of year, and the work we are doing down here is going well,” Broussard said.
The 272nd is currently working on putting together the framework for a new medical facility in Oriente as well as building and putting up trusses for the roof, and even finishing details like painting the windows.
The work taking place in Oriente is just one of the many engineering projects being completed as part of the Beyond the Horizon 2012 Honduras-mission.
Beyond the Horizon Honduras is an Army South led exercise and is part of U.S. Southern Command humanitarian assistance program. BTH-Honduras has military engineers and medical professionals conducting training, while providing services to rural communities. U.S. Army engineers working with host nation personnel are building medical clinics and schoolhouses for the local Hondurans.
Broussard sees the mission not only as a great experience for himself, but for the people of Honduras.
“You can tell they really appreciate what we are doing for them,” Broussard said. “So naturally that makes you feel good as a person.”
Not only is Broussard on his first international mission for the National Guard, but it is his first time working with other Guard units, as well as other Department of Defense personnel.
“I think we are all here to just get the mission done, and getting it done right,” Broussard said. “I think that’s what makes the National Guard such a great thing, we have the ability to work anywhere with anybody.”
The experience gained in Honduras gets Broussard excited for future annual training missions.
“Honduras has been nice, I like the overseas training. It stinks that we won’t be down here to see the finished product,” Broussard said. “Next year we are supposed to go to Germany so I’m looking forward to that.”
Texas is one of the 14 different states’ National Guards being represented throughout the duration of the BTH 2012 mission.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2012 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 89339 |
| Location: | NACO, HN |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Texas National Guard soldier views his first AT as a success, by SGT Clay Beyersdorfer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
