Huamanga, Peru. (October 22, 2022): In this photo by Airmen 1st Class Tracie Forte, Captains Stacy Nimmo and Megan Leitch talk with children during a visit to the construction site for a school being built as part of New Horizons Peru, an event that benefits thousands of Peruvians. Servicemembers from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy come together to construct schools, clinics, and water wells for Peruvians while building lifelong friendships and comrades. Captains Nimmo and Leitch hail from the 820th RED HORSE Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
Huamanga, Peru. (October 22, 2022): How can giving humanitarian aid help America win a war?
The very same cooperation and close coordination needed for humanitarian aid projects is vital to success on the battlefield. Coordinating logistics, transportation, and emergency services makes for excellent practice for America’s warfighters while using the power of our military to help those less fortunate.
A classic example are efforts to assist underprivileged communities in Peru (pictured above).
Led by the Air Force’s 820th RED HORSE Squadron, these humanitarian efforts take advantage of expertise from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps to tackle numerous civic projects. Under the auspices of the U.S. Southern Command, these multi-service relief efforts create bonds and friendships between the U.S. and its southern neighbors. The 50-year-old Southern Command is responsible for the entire land mass of Latin America, the waters adjacent to Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea. Southern Command exists to deter aggression but also to rapidly respond to crisis in the hemisphere, a tall task indeed. In addition to humanitarian and military defense, the Southern Command plays a major role in drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean.
The RED HORSE, or Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, are unique not just for the distinctive red caps they wear, but also for their incredible operational and training capabilities.
Based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the 820th is one of four active-duty squadrons whose mission is rapidly responding to emergencies in high-threat environments, including assisting special operations forces in worldwide contingencies. RED HORSE Airmen blend multi-skilled engineering, vehicle maintenance, services, material management, security forces, and medical personnel to provide heavy construction and repair capability to various theater commanders.
The ability of units with complementary missions to coordinate personnel and equipment under hostile conditions is key to America’s dominance on the battlefield. Humanitarian efforts help hone these skills during peacetime while helping our friends and neighbors at the same time.
Please consider contributing to Support Our Troops, a national charity that delivered over $40 million of tangible support to America’s military servicemembers in the last year with 97 percent of every dollar spent on services. By donating to Support Our Troops’ Patriot Brigade®, you will join thousands of Americans who make monthly donations to pay for comfort items and recreational programs for our military deployed overseas. Please go to our secure website https://supportourtroops.org/donate to contribute to America’s finest today!