Photo By Master Sgt. Lynette Hoke | “The understanding of the language barrier and the patience the people have here is...... read more read more
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CROATIA - For many Soldiers, the hassle of juggling the wide array of issued items and dealing with showdowns can become quickly overwhelming. For Staff Sgt. Ken Melrose, supply sergeant with the 851st Vertical Engineer Company out of Camp Ripley, issuing these items is his livelihood.
“I enjoy my job as an active Guard Reserve supply sergeant, I like being able to help the Soldiers be ready for their mission,” said Melrose. “I get up before them, go to bed after them and do a lot of things behind the scenes they really never know about.”
Melrose and other Soldiers from the 851st Vertical Engineer Company recently packed up their bags to help with a humanitarian civic assistance project in a small town in eastern Croatia alongside members of the Croatian Army. The unit had less than six months to prepare for the opportunity to make a lasting impact on a community in need.
“There have been a lot of good takeaways,” said Melrose. “If I ever get the opportunity to do this again, which I would, I would be able to improve on the items we would bring along and the list of things I would do before, during and after.”
The project included the demolition and rebuilding of a village community center which was damaged in severe flooding last year. Melrose and his Soldiers are equipped to do a great job under a big time crunch, making the best of any hurdle they may come across.
“In retrospect, I would have liked to know even more about the project and get all the little things which could have been a great help,” said Melrose. “For example, I didn’t know that they didn’t use air pneumatic nailers like we do in the states, they hammer everything by hand… I would have brought our nailers which would have helped speed things up with the projects.”
The project requires long hours by everyone in the unit, including Melrose. During the few hours that the Soldiers are not working, they have gotten a chance to make friends in the community and meet the people the job will affect. For Melrose, his impression of the Croatian culture has made a lasting impact on him.
“The understanding of the language barrier and the patience the people have here is amazing,” said Melrose. “The hospitality and the food have exceeded my expectations. I never thought I would be eating this good and everyone wants to talk and is super friendly – regardless of how much English they may know.”
The project was made possible by the U.S. European Command and the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb. Melrose and his troops are expected to complete the job and return to the United States by mid-July.
| Date Taken: | 06.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2015 01:50 |
| Story ID: | 168451 |
| Location: | HR |
| Hometown: | ST. CLOUD, MN, US |
| Hometown: | WILLMAR, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 365 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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