SANTO TOMAS, Guatemala (December 9, 2011) -- Marines from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 774 (HMM-774), a unit attached to the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) deployed aboard the Amphibious Dock Landing Ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), delivered an antenna repeater that could potentially save thousands of lives. This was just one of many small projects the Marines undertook as part of the SPMAGTF’s role in support of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012 (AMPHIB-SPS 12).
The repeater will be used in the event of a power outage to broadcast important news bulletins about upcoming storms, state-of-emergency broadcasts and urgent life-saving messages that may be needed to warn locals of potential danger. A local community of over 30,000 inhabitants will benefit from the teamwork used to move the repeater.
“We are extremely grateful that the helicopter was able to provide this service to us,” said Manolo Claravela, a local radio station host. “This repeater was purchased with money from many of the local people in the area. The repeater we have now does not function and we knew we had to help out.”
The Marines used their CH-46E “Sea Knight” helicopter to perform a daring airlift mission to move an antenna repeater from the Guatemalan Naval Station located in Santo Tomas to the top a hill known as antenna alley.
“The antenna repeater weighed approximately 1,200 pounds and it was never designed to be lifted by our helicopters this way. Today we successfully and safely accomplished that tasking,” said Cpl. Garry Penna, a helicopter support team (HST) member attached to MWSS-274. “It makes me feel great to be able to do this because we are doing it for a good cause; to help save lives in the event a tragedy arises.”
Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2012 is a series of U.S. Navy deployments focused on subject matter expert exchanges with partner nation militaries and civilian security forces in Central & South America and the Caribbean Basin. U.S. military teams work with partner nation militaries during naval-focused training exercises, military-to-military engagements and community relations projects in an effort to enhance cooperative partnerships with regional maritime activities and improve the operational readiness of participants. USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) and the High Speed Vessel 2 Swift are currently conducting two separate SPS missions in the region.
Together, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) support U.S. Southern Command joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.