EL REALEJO, Nicaragua (Reuters) -- A force of 1,600 U.S. troops was
                  arriving Monday to help this Central American nation recover from
                  Hurricane Mitch.

                  U.S. Armed Forces including medical personnel, engineers and logistical
                  experts, along with 90 trucks, 72 "hummer" jeeps, 30 bulldozers and tons of
                  other heavy equipment prepared to launch reconstruction missions
                  throughout the storm-battered country as part of a region-wide aid effort.

                  "These young Americans are here sacrificing the family affection we all look
                  for at Christmastime in order to give it to the Nicaraguan people," Defense
                  Minister Pedro Joaquin Chamorro told journalists at a logistical staging area
                  outside the Pacific port city of Puerto Corinto, about 95 miles northwest of
                  Managua.

                  Hurricane Mitch, Central America's worst natural disaster this century, left at
                  least 9,000 dead and 2 million homeless, while crippling the economies of
                  Honduras and Nicaragua. The storm caused at least $5.4 billion in damage
                  to infrastructure and crops, according to international lenders.

                  U.S. troops and equipment began arriving at Puerto Corinto over the
                  weekend, with the last shipments due Tuesday. The construction projects
                  were to end on Feb 1.

                  The troops, most of them between 18 and 20 years old, were from North
                  Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Kansas and Washington State,
                  operations chief Col. Allan Rasper told reporters.

                  "We look forward to the very positive cultural exchange that will come out
                  of this," he said.

                  The Nicaraguan Army is accompanying U.S. troops to provide security.

                   Copyright 1998 Reuters.