Expanding his family’s military lineage

Photo By Sgt. Joseph Koktan | Spc. Evrett Williams of Middletown, Pa., saws through a piece of lumber for a gym he and his crew are building. Williams is serving with the 668th Engineer Company, Orangeburg, N.Y., in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan.  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

05.28.2012

Story by Sgt. Joseph Koktan 

980th Engineer Battalion

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – When Spc. Evrett Williams enlisted in the Army Reserves, he joined a long line of family members before him served their country in uniform, including two grandfathers in World War I and World War II and a brother in Iraq.

“Most of my family has served in the military,” Williams said. “They were a big influence in my decision.”

The Middletown, Pa., native knew since he was a kid that he wanted to enlist, but it wasn’t until his brother, who served in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division, challenged him to enlist and razzed him a little for being hesitant that he made up his mind.

“I didn’t want to get shown up,” Williams said with a smile. “I had to prove myself.”

In August of 2004, Williams lived up to the challenge and enlisted as an electrician in the Army Reserves so he could round out his skill set as a carpenter and serve his country.

Williams was scheduled for a tour to Afghanistan with his home unit, the 358th Engineer Company, but plans changed when the deployment was cancelled.

Instead of staying stateside, Williams said he signed his name on the volunteer list to deploy to Afghanistan with the 668th Engineer Company of Orangeburg, N.Y. He volunteered because he wanted to “give back to the people who’ve served before me.”

Halfway through his 12-month deployment, Williams has stayed busy developing his skills as both an electrician and carpenter. The primary focus of his mission has been to expand and improve the living and working quarters for U.S. and coalition forces.

Williams and his platoon of engineers began their first major construction project in January. It took three months to build and assemble six office buildings and 11 tent decks for a Polish combat outpost near the snow-covered city of Waghez.

The Waghez mission began in Ghazni where Williams said around 60 percent of the prefab work was completed. It was not until the Waghez groundwork and perimeter were completed, that building operations moved from Ghazni to the Polish outpost. There they finished building and assembling the offices and tent decks.

Williams’ most recent mission was to build a workout facility near the 980th Engineer Battalion’s operations center at Kandahar Airfield.

One of the more challenging parts of his mission, Williams explained, has been the constant moving around and living out of a bag. And because he is usually improving the conditions where he is going, they are typically not very pleasant when he arrives.

Williams also realizes how much he misses the smaller luxuries of life in the States.

“I expected to miss my family, but I never expected to miss the little things,” Williams described. “Sometimes I just want to wake up and feel carpet under my feet when I get out of bed.”

The plans for when he gets home are not yet set in stone, but Williams is considering pursuing a degree in electrical engineering or finding a full time job with his township.

Wherever he ends up, Williams wants to continue improving his carpentry skills. He looks forward to working on his future home and doing construction projects on the side.

• Date Taken: 05.28.2012
• Date Posted: 05.28.2012 01:48
• Story ID: 89071
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF
• Hometown: MIDDLETOWN, PA, US
• Hometown: ORANGEBURG, NY, US