Guardsman Honored as Humanitarian

SONSONATE, El Salvador – Technical Sgt. Mark Wyatt, New Hampshire Air National Guard, of Nashua, receives the Army Achievement medal from Lt. Col. Raymond Valas, Joint Task Force Jaguar commander, during a ceremony Apr. 14 in El Salvador, as Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Speltz looks on.

Wyatt, known on the Salvadoran Infantry base as "Air Force Mark," received the award for outstanding performance during his participation in the Beyond the Horizon Exercise. Beyond The Horizon is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, Army South-led, joint-foreign military interaction and humanitarian exercise that started in late March and goes to late June, 2013. 

About Beyond the Horizon: From April through June 2013, U.S. military personnel will be in Belize, El Salvador, and Panama to conduct comprehensive humanitarian civic assistance exercises.  As part of the Beyond the Horizon & New Horizons exercise programs, troops specializing in engineering, construction and health care are providing needed services to communities while receiving valuable deployment training and building important relationships with partner nations.   

The civic action programs are designed to assist in providing local communities – many of which are remote – with a wide range of construction capabilities.  The projects include building repairs and improvements, new small construction projects, utility system repairs, construction and technical assistance.

MEDICAL: U.S. military health care professionals will conduct multiple Medical Readiness Training Exercises (MEDRETEs) in each country, working with host nation medical personnel to provide general and specialized medical and dental services to thousands of citizens requiring care.  These services include public health and preventive medicine, dental care, adult and pediatric medicine, medical education, immunizations, and nutritional counseling. The exercises also include veterinarian care, a vital service that ensures the health of valuable food sources and helps prevent diseases that could be passed from animals and livestock to a population.  The training events enhance the medical readiness training of U.S. forces as well as provided sustained health benefit to the population.  Additionally, the relationships forged during these exercises can be called upon in the event of a regional situation that requires a cooperative response.