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Uruguayan competitors race toward a spring July 19, during a water event in this year’s Fuerzas Comando competition held in Poptun, Guatemala. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Osvaldo Equite.
Team Colombia wins third title in row; United States second; El Salvador third Story by Pfc. Christine Lorenz SOCSOUTH Public Affairs The Guatemalan Army Band could be heard playing patriotic music under the warmth of Central America’s sun as Fuerzas Comando 2015, a nine-day test of endurance, strength and mental fortitude, came to an end, July 23, among the rolling hills of northern Guatemala. The special operations competition concluded with the Colombian team hoisting the trophy for the third time in a row. Colombia, which has won the competition seven times since it began in 2004, is not the only country leaving with more than what they arrived with. The U.S. team, which takes home second Tip of the Spear
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place overall, demonstrated their strength in the sniper and assault team events, finishing fifth and second, respectively. El Salvador, on the strength of its performance in the sniper team events, earned third place overall. Sponsored by U.S. Southern Command, the competition brought together special operations teams from across the Western Hemisphere to compete. Nineteen countries competed in 17 events to determine the best special operations team from countries within the USSOUTHCOM area of operations. “Fuerzas Comando promotes regional security and cooperation, improving our capabilities, increasing interoperability, and sharing ideas on facing common threats between participating countries,” said U.S. Army Col. John Wilt, commander of Special
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