Photo By Master Sgt. James May | An overall view of the Polish Appreciation Day ceremony held at Forward Operating Base...... read more read more
Subscribe
GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Two U.S. sailors were recognized for their service by Polish Brig. Gen. Andrzej Przekwas, Task Force White Eagle commander, on Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Sept. 12, coinciding with Polish Land Forces Day.
In addition to Polish soldiers recognized for their service, Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Jackson and Petty Officer 1st Class Terrence Pitt were thanked by the general for going above and beyond their duty March 30 by repairing a hangar door and allowing Polish helicopter pilots to carry out their mission.
The two-hour repair would normally have been done by KBR, the civilian company contracted out by the military, but due to a transfer of the contract to a new company, Flour, KBR personnel were not authorized to work on any new projects.
Jackson and Pitt, both members of the Ghazni PRT, woke up early to reach their shop at 5 a.m., but they never made it to the mechanic’s bay. Instead, they hurried over to the Polish flight line when another PRT member told them that TF White Eagle needed their assistance.
A frayed cable kept the hangar door from opening, and the helicopters could not launch. Acting quickly, both Sailors realized they could utilize the unused cable from the other side of the hangar. The hangar had two doors, but pilots could not use the second door since it led out to gravel that would damage the aircraft. After surveying the scene, the two Sailors swapped out the unused cable with the broken one.
“Because the cable was frayed so badly, they couldn’t open the door, and the frayed pieces were cutting into the tent. We basically replaced it so they could open their hangar-bay door and get their aircraft out,” said Jackson, who calls home Greensboro, N.C.
Neither of the sailors felt what they did was out of the ordinary.
“We just went there to do what we were asked to do,” Pitt said, shrugging, but the Polish Task Force was very grateful.
“I didn’t even consider what we did a big deal,” Jackson humbly said, mimicking Pitt’s feelings.
Their certificates of appreciation were awarded alongside other Polish soldiers during one of their national holidays, Polish Land Forces Day.
The holiday commemorates the Battle of Vienna, which took place Sept. 11 and 12 in 1683 and marked the turning point in the Ottoman–Habsburg wars, which was the 300-year struggle between the forces of the Central European kingdoms and the Ottoman Empire. The battle was won by Polish, Austrian and German forces led by the King of Poland, King John III Sobieski.
Jackson, the lead mechanic of the five-man all-Navy mechanic shop at FOB Ghazni, first joined the Navy back in 1997 and has been active duty for the last 13 years. Pitt, from Brooklyn, N.Y., joined the Navy in 1989 while he was still a U.S. resident, not yet a citizen.
Born in Basseterre St. Kitts, located on Leeward Island in the West Indies, Pitt became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1991. He has spent four years active duty and 17 years as a Reservist at Fort Skyler, a Naval base in the Bronx area in New York.
“It’s been a great honor to serve with Ghazni PRT, and I’m glad that my mechanical experience was helpful in getting the mission done,” Pitt said.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2010 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 56414 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
This work, Hard work pays off for Ghazni PRT vehicle mechanics, by 1st Lt. Katherine Roling, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT