An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | March 30, 2012

Puerto Rico National Guard fosters State Partnership with Honduras

By Staff Sgt. Joseph Rivera-Rebolledo, Army National Guard Puerto Rico National Guard

The Puerto Rico National Guard welcomed a Honduran military delegation as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program. The week-long visit provided the opportunity to exchange experiences, build relationships and help strengthen the relationship between Honduras and the United States, said Capt. Rolando Rodriguez, the SPP coordinator with the Puerto Rico Guard.

The Honduran visitors had the opportunity to experience how the PRNG conducts training, manages mass communication programs and develops leadership through its military school system as they visited different training/work environments.

At the 201st Regimental Training Institute in Fort Allen, the group visited the Noncommissioned Officers Academy where they had the chance to compare the training facilities and curriculum to their own, while exchanging information and ideas with the instructors. They also witnessed today's technology available to instructors and students alike.

"We came here with high expectations, and I feel confident these expectations were exceeded," said Honduran army Col. Victoriano Salinas Olivas, NCO Academy Director, Honduran Army. "As director of the NCO Academy, I came here to see how the school works, how classes are instructed and I was very pleased with their presentation. The professionalism of the instructors and their behavior as NCOs is outstanding. These are good things I can bring back to my country."

The group also experienced some of the training capabilities and equipment available at Camp Santiago Joint Maneuver Training Center during their tour.

The Hondurans had the opportunity to try the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT), a simulator of a Humvee in which Soldiers train in survivability during vehicle roll-overs and safely egress in case of emergency.

"When the instructor asked who wanted to give it a try in the simulator I was the first one to hop in," said Salinas. "I never had this opportunity in my 35 years in the institution, especially in a vehicle that is upside down, I have never had the experience of finding myself upside down in a vehicle. Feeling all the gravity in my head was amazing."

According to Salinas, this experience has been beneficial for the Honduran. As a follow-up to this visit, members of the Puerto Rico Guard will visit Honduras to have the opportunity to experience and see how things are done there.

 

 

Related Articles
Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Army Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, visit New Hampshire National Guardsmen at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Nov. 26, 2024.
NGB Leaders Visit ’Top-notch’ Guardsmen in New Hampshire
By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely, | Nov. 29, 2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – The National Guard Bureau’s top leaders visited the New Hampshire National Guard Nov. 26 to better understand its people, missions and capabilities.Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard...

On Sept. 26, 2024, Maj. Gen. Michael Venerdi, Kansas adjutant general, presented the Kansas Medal of Excellence to Tech. Sgt. Ryan Ewing for resuscitating a man at a Milwaukee hotel.
Kansas National Guard Airman Recognized for Saving a Life
By Kansas National Guard | Nov. 29, 2024
TOPEKA, Kan. - One of the benefits of joining the Kansas National Guard is the skills learned may be useful in the civilian world. While Tech. Sgt. Ryan Ewing’s skills as a boom operator in a KC-135 refueling tanker jet may...

Santa Claus smiles after arriving in Circle, Alaska, on board an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk to deliver gifts to children during Operation Santa Claus, Nov. 6, 2024. The Alaska National Guard's annual community outreach program has provided toys, backpacks and books to children in remote Alaskan communities since 1956.
Alaska Guard’s Operation Santa Claus Brings Holiday Cheer
By Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey, | Nov. 29, 2024
CIRCLE, Alaska - Alaska Army and Air National Guard members and Salvation Army volunteers boarded a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with Santa Claus Nov. 6 to deliver gifts to the remote village of Circle along the Yukon...