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CAMP DWYER, Helmand Province, Afghanistan — In the desert, anything that gives you shade is a blessing. In this desert with its soaring temperatures; fine, powdery sand; and blowing winds that feel like the inside of a convection oven, all the shade is man-made.
To ease the natural burden a little, Marines and Afghans worked together June 8, 2009, to build an oasis for local workers who otherwise would be exposed to the elements.
A 30-man contracting crew from the town of Garmsir, along with Marines here, worked together to erect a 120- by 40-foot tent outside the perimeter to use as shade for processing contracted convoy drivers prior to them being allowed inside the camp. As a side benefit, the tent will also be a rally point and protection from the elements for the local drivers traveling from other camps and forward operating bases.
Up to this point, these civilian drivers waiting to be allowed inside the perimeter would sleep under or inside the cabs of their trucks. Every day, an average of 40 to 50 trucks are in the waiting lot, known as the "Soak" lot.
With this new tent, like the ones the troops here sleep in, both the local drivers and the Marines who process their paperwork will have some protection from the sun and a refuge from the 120-degree, summertime heat.
The tent-building process took place on a hot day like that. At 9 a.m., a few vehicles and Marines from Company R, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines, drove outside the perimeter with the tent to the location where the construction was to take place. Within 30 minutes the construction crew arrived as well and the project began.
The first real challenge for the local workers was not transporting the thousands of pounds of canvas, rope and metal poles, nor was it unloading it all by hand from the bed of the 7-ton truck and arranging it prior to erection. It was merely the fact that the instructions were written in a foreign language.
"I thought the biggest problem would be translations. The instructions were in English," said 1st Lt. Ryan Mathews, Company R executive officer. Marines from the company provided security for the tent build and Mathews helped decipher the instructions with the aid of an interpreter.
Even with the few stapled pages of instructions, an interpreter and the heavy equipment the crew brought — two tractors — the build still took nearly nine hours to complete.
"It was slow, but the problem with that project was that almost none of the contractors out here have experience putting up a pole tent," added Air Force Capt. Edwin Ruckwardt, Camp Dwyer's contracting officer. "It's not bad for their first one. It actually went better than expected."
Unlike contractors that are normally hired on American military bases around the world, working with local companies sometimes presents unexpected challenges. One of those here in Afghanistan is overcoming the misconception that they must have the same equipment and experience as their Western counterparts to be effective. This pre-conceived notion that a lack of modern gear puts them on a less-than-equal footing was put to rest when the construction crew got to work. Because of their environment, professionals here have to hone abilities that allow them to accomplish more with less — less equipment and less-skilled labor.
This contractor was one of the best performers around Delhi doing Commander's Emergency Response Projects, Ruckwardt said. CERPs are identified by civil affairs representatives as necessary construction or repair work in neighboring towns and villages. These projects benefit both the local community and the Marines' mission to provide security by making them more welcome where they would otherwise be seen as only as a foreign military force.
For a native construction crew working with the Marines in this country, however, there is more to worry about than how to get the job done. The threat of repercussions from Taliban insurgents is very real, so a healthy helping of courage is also a necessity. It's very hard to find a local contractor who will work with coalition forces, according to Ruckwardt.
"All these guys took a tremendous risk working for us because you never know who's watching," he said.
The giant, white circus tent standing outside Camp Delhi today is testament that not only do Afghans have the resourcefulness to overcome a challenging task, but also the courage to undertake them and succeed.
It is also a place of refuge — a man-made oasis
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2009 04:14 |
| Story ID: | 37528 |
| Location: | CAMP DWYER, AF |
| Web Views: | 380 |
| Downloads: | 136 |
This work, Marines, Afghan drivers get new oasis outside Camp Dwyer, by MSgt Chris W. Cox, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
