Improving quality of life passes time for deployed Soldiers

Photo By 1st Lt. Nathan McEwen | Staff Sgt. Chris, Hale an operations non-commissioned officer from Vinita, Okla., assigned to Combat Troop 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, welds together the new dining facility, which comes in several modules, at Joint Security Station Chilat, Iraq. "Instead of sitting around after my shift, I will go and work on wiring or building something like new flooring for the tents and it helps pass the time," said Hale.  

JOINT SECURITY STATION CHILAT, IRAQ

10.05.2009

Story by 1st Lt. Nathan McEwen 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

JOINT SECURITY STATION CHILAT, Iraq - "Improve your foxhole:" Soldiers at Joint Security Station Chilat hear that phrase all the time. It's a slogan the Soldiers of "C" Troop, "Combat", 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment take to heart as they constantly strive to improve the small JSS.

Improving the JSS involves many different types of manual labor, such as plumbing, electricity, carpentry and civil engineering. Due to the remoteness of the JSS, the Soldiers often have to rely on themselves to do the improvements.

"It's a lot of fun being one of the carpentry guys," said Spc. Damon Krach, a medic from Salem, N.Y. "I have worked on different types of projects ranging from tables and desks to shelves and hallways. I even had the opportunity to work on a washroom."

Working on improving the JSS can also be relaxing and helps to pass the time during the deployment.

"Instead of sitting around after my shift, I will go and work on wiring or building something like new flooring for the tents and it helps pass the time," said Staff Sgt. Chris W. Hale, an operations noncommissioned officer from Vinita, Okla. "It seems to make the deployment go by quicker, which is always a plus."

Since June 15, when "Combat" Troop moved into the area, the JSS has steadily been expanding with different types of projects.

The Border Transition Teams Phoenix and Scimitar established the JSS, and now with everyone working together and combining ideas and skills; the quality of life has improved project by project.

"The JSS has come a long way since our arrival: from an expansion of six tents and connexes, to getting everything foamed and getting a hard structured dining facility," said Cpl. Timothy W. McBride an armorer in "C" Troop and Apache Junction, Ariz., native.

Every month or so, there is at least one large project to improve the quality of life, and it seems to be slowly speeding up with more and more large projects.

Through teamwork, JSS Chilat has commodities such as heated running water, a fully functional dining facility, a gym and copious amounts of air conditioning.

• Date Taken: 10.05.2009
• Date Posted: 11.17.2009 14:00
• Story ID: 41688
• Location: JOINT SECURITY STATION CHILAT, IQ