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News | Oct. 17, 2024

Building Stronger Ties: Soto Cano Air Base Soldiers volunteer time to train Honduran Air Force Cadets

By Capt. Hillary Gibson Joint Task Force-Bravo

It’s not uncommon to witness first-hand the collaboration between American and Honduran forces while walking around Soto Cano Air Base. Despite being separated by imaginary lines and traffic barriers, the deep-rooted relationship is quickly apparent and telling of the decades long partnership between the two nations.

The essence of this relationship is captured by Joint Task Force-Bravo’s fourth line of effort to “invest in our team”; and we are indeed on the same team here at Soto Cano.

Earlier this year, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cristobal Ledesma and Staff Sgt. Hector Nevarez Serrano put this mantra into action when they learned about a seemingly simple ask coming from the Honduran Air Force Academy, an institution located less than a mile from JTF-Bravo’s headquarters. Their students needed to learn how to swim.

Ledesma and Nevarez quickly got to work planning and developing a 15-hour course which would adequately prepare these cadets to meet the demands of the U.S. Army’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore, Georgia, following their graduation from the Honduran Air Force Academy.

The Combat Water Survival Test requires trainees to demonstrate the ability to tread water and accomplish a 15-meter underwater swim among other skills all while in uniform and carrying weapons.

Inclusion in this training enables the future leaders of the Honduran Air Force to familiarize themselves with the U.S. Army’s approach to leadership while furthering the already close partnership between the two nations.

For two weeks, Ledesma and Nevarez dedicated their personal time to working with 20 Honduran cadets from 6 to 7:30 a.m., ultimately ensuring the cadets’ readiness and personal safety during their follow-on training.

“It really was incredible to see the growth and dedication coming from the cadets,” said Ledesma. “Some of them had never even been in a pool before and by the end of it they were swimming laps like they’d been doing it for years. It means a lot knowing I was able to help our partners become proficient in a skillset that will not only help them be successful but could save their life.”

This is Ledesma’s, an Army reservist working in the Army Forces Battalion Medical Detachment, second tour at Soto Cano and his fourth overseas tour.

Nevarez expressed his gratitude for the time spent assigned to Soto Cano, “I am really proud to serve here and appreciate that I am empowered to go the extra mile when it comes to supporting our teammates,” he said. “Our impact goes beyond what we do while on duty.”

This is Nevarez's fourth rotation here as an MP assigned to the Army Forces Battalion Military Police Detachment. He is always willing to find a solution when a need arises- even if it means volunteering to facilitate early morning swim classes following a long night shift.

Navarez, who has spent 11 years in the Puerto Rican National Guard, also volunteers as a jujitsu instructor for the Honduran academy’s Empower Her course.

“If I identify a need I can fill with my own experience and expertise, I am happy to do it,” said Nevarez. “By investing in each other, we are building a stronger, more capable team.”

U.S. Southern Command’s JTF-Bravo plans, coordinates, and executes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief throughout Central America in support of U.S. Government and partner nation interests.

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