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VICKSBURG, Miss. – A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployable detachment cased its colors yesterday as it prepared for movement to Afghanistan.
The Soldiers and Civilians of the 579th Engineer Detachment (Forward Engineer Support Team - Main) were honored by family, friends and the Vicksburg community during a deployment ceremony here in front of the Vicksburg District building. Other U.S. Army organizations, including the Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg District, Engineer Research and Development Center, and the 412th Theater Engineer Command gathered to pay tribute and send off the team.
Led by the FEST-M commander, Col. Richard Dean, the detachment's hybrid workforce will work together under field force engineering concepts to provide seamless general engineering support to the Afghan country. The unique engineering team will also assist in the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan in order to promote the security of our nation and democracy he said.
"By engaging in these efforts, you seek to prevent those regions from becoming safe havens for those who would threaten our homeland, our allies, and our national interests" Dean said as he addressed the FEST-M.
Dean admits that while certainly unique in scale and complexity, the mission in Afghanistan will also pose dangers to his deployed detachment.
"Notwithstanding these risks, you, as soldier and civilian personnel working in these war zones are essential to the success of the stabilization and reconstruction efforts and future stability of Afghanistan," he said.
M. Javed Ahmed, FEST-M highway engineer, is ready for the deployment in light of the challenges ahead.
"I feel very excited and I think we'll do a good over there," he said. "We are professional, we are a good team, and we have good leadership.
Ahmed deploys as a large part of the civilian workforce alongside the military to missions in Afghanistan. According to Department of Defense statistics, hundreds of federal civilian employees have been deployed to this region to support security, political, and economic development.
"It's a process of building a nation and I'm a part of that," Ahmed said.
The FEST-M anticipates making a positive influence towards rebuilding Afghanistan as it will provide vital contract construction and technical engineering services.
"Every time we dig a well and every time we build a school, we're making a big impact," said Capt. Christopher Ericson, FEST-M assistant operations officer. "Lots of times this will be the first school that they've really ever seen, and the first time that some of these kids have ever gone to school and had a place where they can go and learn."
Everything that will be done on the construction side ends up helping Afghanistan said Ericson.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has an ongoing mission, one unprecedented in scope, to assist in rebuilding Afghanistan's infrastructures in support of overseas contingency operations.
The FEST-M is vital to the success of this mission as it has the skills to meet USACE's worldwide mission requirements during periods of national emergency, mobilization, war, military crisis, or any other contingencies.
According to the Army field manual of engineer operations, FESTs can rapidly deploy to meet requirements for engineering assessments and analyses in support of the full array of engineer functions.
"The FEST-M's capability will prove itself to be indispensable on the battlefield," Dean said. "In future operations, I foresee that the principal face of USACE to the operational Army will be composed of soldiers and civilians assigned to forward engineer support teams."
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2010 07:06 |
| Story ID: | 49525 |
| Location: | VICKSBURG, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 221 |
| Downloads: | 171 |
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