Doing it All

Photo By Maj. Gretel Weiskopf | Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chad LeBlank, a member of the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, employs a hand-held fogger to spray for insects and pests outside a Camp Justice tent, Oct. 3, 2008. The 474th ECES supports Joint Task Force Guantanamo and is comprised of Airmen from both the North Carolina and Louisiana Air National Guard. JTF Guantanamo conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detained enemy combatants, including those convicted by military commission and those ordered released. The JTF conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for the protection of detainees and personnel working in JTF Guantanamo facilities and in support of the Global War on Terror. JTF Guantanamo provides support to the Office of Military Commissions, to law enforcement and to war crimes investigations. The JTF conducts planning for and, on order, responds to Caribbean mass migration operations.  

02.06.2009

Story by Sgt. Gretel Weiskopf 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

By Gretel Sharpee
Joint Task Force Guantanamo

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – "We've been busy," said Air Force Lt. Col. Gregory Walters when asked what his unit, the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, has been up to since arriving at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay last August.

"Busy" might be an understatement when considering what this squadron of Air Guard members from North Carolina and Louisiana has accomplished.

From burying more than 2,000 feet of high-voltage electric cable, assisting in migrant operation exercises and supplying the Expeditionary Legal Complex with an uninterruptable power supply, the 474th ECES used the skills of each of their Airmen to accomplish the mission.

"These guys outperformed any expectation I had for them," Walters said.

One of the main missions of the 474th was supplying and maintaining the basic needs of Camp Justice and the ELC. This included security measures, water and electricity availability and many other behind the scenes operations.

"One big issue was the courtroom dropping power during commissions," said Air Force Maj. Bobby Walston, operations officer. "A new system had to be installed, which was a big project for our electricians."

"Planning, execution and communication for our projects, as well as staying two-to-three steps ahead, has been a challenge," continued Walston.

Not only does the 474th provide utility support for the commissions, they also assist in establishing security measures. A secure area was built into Courtroom 2 to view proceedings. Also, hundreds of feet of concrete barricades were installed as a force protection measure.

"We take a lot of pride in the things we take care of. The [Airmen] take ownership of the projects and we encourage that," Walston said.

Providing security to the Commissions Support Group is an important facet of the 474th ECES, but they don't complete the mission alone. "We couldn't do what we do without the CSG. We all worked extremely well together and are just a small part of a big group," Walters said.

The 474th ECES also found themselves helping the Joint Task Force with various projects, including hurricane clean-up operations and community relations/support projects.

"Basically I watched a group starting out have personal conflicts, but work through them and learn to work with each other and do great work because they are all very talented in their [respective] career fields," said Air Force Master Sgt. Russel Holland, first sergeant for the 474th ECES.

The out-going members of the 474th will return to their home state to train, rebuild and wait for another deployment.

"It's been a good deployment ... there have been challenges, but it has been a good deployment," Holland said.

• Date Taken: 02.06.2009
• Date Posted: 02.10.2009 09:05
• Story ID: 29836