Admissions Blog

Hola from Soto Cano Air Force Base, Honduras! Currently I am finishing up a three week experience called CTLT where cadets shadow an Army Officer in order to better understand what to expect when we graduate. Usually this training takes place during the summer, but my situation is different because I am spending this semester in Russia on a semester abroad. My classes do not start there until February 1st, therefore I was given the opportunity to complete this graduation requirement this month. I spent the month of January in 70 degree weather with Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-B), part of the Southern Command which currently resides at Soto Cano Air Force Base in the middle of Honduras.

The first question I'm sure that you're pondering is why I am at an Air Force Base. To be honest, Soto Cano is not even an American base. The Constitution of Honduras forbids a foreign military to maintain a permanent base in the country, so the "temporary" forces there (a mixture of Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel) are guests of the Hondurans and have been for around 25 years. The base itself is the site of the Honduran Air Force Academy. The Hondurans and Americans share the runway and base facilities, although the Honduran Academy is situated away from the American buildings. No fixed wing American aircraft are stationed at the base, though the base is used as a staging ground for missions all through Central America. Instead, an Army helicopter battalion with UH-60 Blackhawks and CH-47 Chinooks maintains a presence here.
During my stay in Honduras I worked with the Military Police unit here, the Joint Security Force (or JSF). This unit is interesting because it is a mixture of Air Force Security Forces and Puerto Rican Army National Guard. I had a lot of great opportunities to train with them and see what they do on a day to day basis, including helping train Military Working dogs, plan and participate in an M9 pistol range, interact with Honduran Military forces and Cadets, practiced the correct way to handcuff and detain people, and learned to maintain physical security systems such as surveillance cameras and perimeter fencing. I even picked up some Spanish chatting with the Hondurans and Puerto Ricans, although limited because I have Russian and German jumbled up in my brain as well.

However, I wasn't limited to just the JSF. I also visited the 1/228th Aviation Battalion, the helicopter unit here. Also, we spent a day with the 612th Air Squadron, the Air Force personnel who operate the air field here and make everything run, including manning the Control Tower, maintaining the special aviation vehicles and fuel farm, fire fighting, and servicing the aircraft that come in and out of the airport. Finally, I learned from the Army Forces (ARFOR), a conglomeration of not only Army but also Air Force and Navy personnel who support the 1/228th and JSF with mostly staff jobs. One neat event I participated in with them was a Joint Airborne Parachute operation with Honduran soldiers. I wasn't allowed to jump, but it was still fun to have a front row seat of them walking out the back of a Chinook.

I couldn't describe my experience in Honduras without discussing the overall mission of JTF-B. The task force has a couple of diverse missions, including Counter Narcotics Trafficking (CNT), Anti-Terrorism, and Humanitarian Aid. Of the three, the last one was most apparent from my point of view. For example, each of the units here supports a local orphanage or special needs school. I was able to help move furniture to the school sponsored by the JSF. Also, every month the Chaplain organizes a Chapel Hike up into the mountains that surround the base. People from the base carry food and other items up to a different village every month in order to help out. Honduras has very extreme poverty, and it is evident everywhere I went throughout the country. Even the profits from the four different bars on post go towards charity. This giving back to the community struck me the most about this place, and it's something that I will make sure to remember when I become and officer. Finally, about a week into my CTLT a 6.1 earthquake struck Costa Rica. The very next day 4 Blackhawks and 2 Chinooks were on the way with disaster relief and person recovery services.

I didn't have work all the time, however. Honduras also has many recreational activities, and I took advantage of those while in country. The very first full day we traveled to Lake Yojoa, and took out a pontoon boat to enjoy the day swimming and boating. Another weekend I visited the Mayan Ruins at Copan, which also sports natural hot springs and a zip lining tour. Other cadets in my group went to the resort island of Roatan and went scuba diving (I heard the 2nd largest coral reef in the world is there, but I can't confirm that). Of course, even after work on weekdays I could enjoy the poolside. In January!
To conclude, my time in Honduras not only gave me experience about the Army, I was able to develop myself as a person also, helping out in a very needy community, learning about the other services I will work closely with in the future, and having fun at the same time.