Vanguard Soldiers build good fences, make good neighbors

Photo By Spc. Jazz Burney | A Soldier with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team keeps his eyes on the road, as his company conducts a combat patrol to Imam Sahib in northern Kunduz March 21, 2011.  

IMAM SAHIB, AFGHANISTAN

03.21.2011

Story by Sgt. Jazz Burney 

170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KUNDUZ, Afghanistan- Directly behind Joint Combat Outpost Fortitude, home to soldiers with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, stands the Imam Sahib Girls' High School. During a normal school day, many students view soldiers manning their posts.

Leaders with the company initiated the battalion’s first Commander’s Emergency Response Program project to alleviate the cultural offense of U.S. soldiers viewing Afghan women. Soldiers and local contractors will build two walls to redirect the entrance of the school away from the ISAF outpost.

“Because the walls of the outpost are tall, the soldiers can see directly into the school. We want to make sure that the girls will not disturb the soldiers but will be safe to focus on furthering their education,” said Sakhidat-Sif-Mohmad, the manager of the high school wall building project.

The doors of the high school have been open for more than 10 years with 580 female students constantly in attendance. From ages seven to 18, students are taught mathematics, social studies and Afghan culture. Some students travel many miles to reach the school, said an Imam Sahib High School administrator.

The current path to the school places students in harm’s way, due to military vehicles maneuvering up and down the road. The road to the school is also directly adjacent to the Imam Sahib District governor’s building, which was recently attacked by a suicide vest bomber.

“The route the girls were taking to get to school is literally right in front of the entrance to our outpost,” said Capt. Christopher Mercado, a Sioux Falls, S.D., native, now the B Company commander. “We understand the Afghan culture and are working diligently to change this situation with the building of these walls. Once up, these walls will keep the students out of view of the Soldiers and also shield them from potential insurgent attacks.”

On the far right of the district building, two walls were knocked in creating a path that leads to a metal gate, which will serve as the school’s new entrance. Soldiers and contractors will build an additional wall to separate the new road from the district governor’s building.

Mercado quoted a famous line, “Good Fences make Good Neighbors” from a poem by Robert Frost, as he explained his eagerness to build the school’s walls during a sit-down with local leaders.

“As a father myself, I understand that our children are our future, and the future of Afghanistan should be educated, these walls will be built so that this will happen,” Mercado said during the meeting.

The project is nearing completion, and as their deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom continues, Soldiers with B Company will assist government leaders of Imam Sahib with further projects to improve and protect the lives of citizens in the area.

• Date Taken: 03.21.2011
• Date Posted: 03.26.2011 08:34
• Story ID: 67780
• Location: IMAM SAHIB, AF