“Our providers are checking for irregular curvatures of the spine, providing eye exams, and evaluating issues related to the ears, nose and throat.”īefore departing for the day, service members presented the children with a Beyond the Horizon 2017 gift bag that contained notebooks, notepads, pens and toys.Īrmy Sgt. Samantha Madsen, the task force’s medical planner. “We wanted to come over here and provide basic physical exams for the children,” said Army Maj. Once the outdoor events and activities had concluded, several health care providers from the Utah National Guard Medical Command arrived to provide free check-ups for the children. “We sang songs together and ate popcorn, which I think the children really enjoyed.”

1 priority for today’s event was interacting with the children,” Vargas said. Julio Vargas, a chaplain with the 448th Engineer Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Puerto Rico, brought his travel guitar to the event and played several songs for the children. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”īurkhardt said removing the hazardous trees had been a top priority over the last two missionary trips, but they didn’t have the manpower to accomplish the project.Īrmy Capt. “This has been a great day to be here with the troops and be able to get some projects done,” Burkhardt said. Michael Burkhardt, an American missionary with Ladyville Baptist Church, attended the community relations event and assisted service members with the tree removal process. “We were afraid the tree might fall and cause serious damage to the property.”

Rudy Sneed, a shower and laundry specialist with the 452nd Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve unit based in Scottsdale, Arizona. “There was a low-hanging tree over one of the housing units and we decided to cut it down and get it out of the way,” said Army Spc. Service members spent their day removing safety hazards from the property, playing a variety of games with the children and providing basic medical examinations. The task force’s information operations cell coordinated the volunteer effort that included a wide range of helpful and needed services and activities. This year’s exercise will provide three free medical service events and five construction projects throughout Belize from March 25 until June 17. The soldiers’ visit is was part of the Beyond the Horizon 2017 task force.īeyond the Horizon is a partnership exercise between the government of Belize and U.S.

Operation beyond the horizon 2017