SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO—Col. Charles N. Moulton, the Fort Buchanan commanding officer, and Command Sgt. Maj. Roderick W. Hendricks, the installation command sergeant major, met with Amanda Silva and Jorge Morales, Executive Director and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity, respectively, on June 28 at the organization’s headquarters as part of Fort Buchanan’s community outreach mission.

“Welcome to our organization. We are glad you accepted our invitation, as we look forward to establishing a collaboration with Fort Buchanan to improve the quality of life

of families in Puerto Rico,” said Silva during the encounter.

The Executive Director went on to explain Habitat for Humanity’s mission.

“The basic idea of Habitat is to work with the issue of affordable housing. There are not a lot of housing units available on the island. The cost of living in Puerto Rico is very high, making it difficult for the working class to own a house. Our main programs are home ownership, home repairs, and the reconstruction skills program,” said Silva.

According to Silva, since Puerto Rico is prone to hurricanes and earthquakes, local communities must be resilient.

“As military members, you can understand the importance of resilience very well,” added Silva.

For Morales, having a home has multiplying effects on local children’s economic development, community, and mental and physical well-being.

“A home is much more than a bricks and mortar business,” said Morales.

Meanwhile, Moulton also explained the installation mission in Puerto Rico and the intent of the meeting.

“Fort Buchanan’s mission is to serve as a platform to enable readiness and facilitate the deployment of military personnel to any location at any time. As part of that process, we must connect with the local community, which is why we are here,” said Moulton.

Hendricks explained that he has worked with Habitat for Humanity during previous assignments in the continental United States.

“This is a great initiative that allows service members to use their military skills and experiences to benefit local communities directly,” said Hendricks, who has an engineering specialty in the U.S. Army.

As part of the encounter, the group discussed possible ways of future collaboration, including exploring possible Innovative Readiness Training missions, volunteer opportunities for local troops, and possibly conducting collaborative leadership workshops.

“Of course, all these initiatives must comply with the regulatory requirements, but they represent a great opportunity for Fort Buchanan to further connect with the people of Puerto Rico,” stated Moulton.

The Army has a long history of supportive relationships with surrounding communities and has also developed strong relationships with local, state, and national organizations. Fort Buchanan is not an exception to this reality.

With an annual investment in the local economy of more than $500 million, Fort Buchanan serves a diverse military community of approximately 15,000 active-duty Reserve, National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy Reserve troops.