Press Release
☷Force Protection Detachment chief awarded for community aid in Honduras
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
May 03,2022
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Antonio “Tony” Fors , deputy chief , G - 2X , Southern European Task Force - Africa ( SETAF - AF ) , Force Protection Detachment ( FPD ) program , and recipient of the Honduran Security and Defense Cabinet “Great Cross of High Honor , ” poses with a friend who brought books and supplies in support of students attending a school in Posos Sarcos , a small village in the municipality of San Luis about 80 miles from Tegucigalpa , Honduras , Feb . 25 , 2020 . VICENZA , Italy – A Force Protection Detachment ( FPD ) member assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade , received the Honduran “Great Cross of High Honor” by the Honduran Security and Defense Cabinet , Feb . 25 , 2020 . Antonio “Tony” Fors , deputy chief , G - 2X , Southern European Task Force - Africa ( SETAF - AF ) , received the award for jointly working with the Hondurans for several years on security matters and community service . The award , given to mid - level personnel involved in the Public Security field , as opposed to Ambassadors or members of Congress , cited Fors for magnificent work and help in achieving National Security Objectives . "Much of the FPD work is done in the background and the results are often not visible to anyone unfamiliar with the program , " said Raymond Kontusz , manager of the Force Protection Detachment program . "Awards such as these highlight both the professionalism of our agents as well as the humanitarian side of the FPD work , supporting not just U . S . Forces , but the local population as well . Army CI professionals have been assisting deployed forces for over 20 years and are keeping U . S . Soldiers , Sailors and Airmen out of harms’ way . ” Fors was in Honduras with the Security and Defense Cabinet that works between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Security . It is in charge of citizen security and the National Interagency Security Joint Task Force ( FUISNA ) . “I am deeply honored by the recognition the Government of Honduras ( GOH ) has bestowed on Dan Gilbride and me , " said Fors . "It was truly unexpected and I cannot avoid a feeling of humbleness at being the recipient of such a prestigious award . As I near the closing chapters of my long military and civilian career this moment will be highlighted as one of the most memorable . ” According to Fors , caring and becoming involved with the local community came as a natural consequence of his liaison work . "The genuine warmth displayed by the townspeople in those remote areas had me looking for ways that I could improve their humble lives . Helping the local schools came as a logical choice as town officials proudly took us on a walkthrough that included their one - classroom school , " added Fors . "Watching those kids , eager to learn but without notebooks and pencils , prompted us to do what we could to provide them with some relief . Aided by donations from family , friends , and 470th ( Military Intelligence Brigade ) families we donated a large amount of used school books , pencils , crayons , and notebooks . The minimally insignificant cost of what we donated was immediately rewarded by the heartfelt gratitude of those children . " The same situation applied to clinics located in remote locations – through contacts with friends we were able to obtain some basic medical supplies and a centripetal machine that had been decommissioned by a hospital in Texas . "Once we received permission from the embassy we turned over the equipment to a local clinic in the Comayagua sierras , " said Fors . "The gratitude of the local physician and the community as a whole was incredible . Moments like these made our jobs even more rewarding; we made a tangible contribution to a very grateful community . ” The current Force Protection Detachment representative was given the same award for continuing the liaison and assistance efforts established by Fors .
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