Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan
CAMP WOLVERINE, Afghanistan, Jan. 10, 2006 " Commerce, transportation and travel have always been difficult in the remote windswept mountains and valleys of Zabol Province in eastern Afghanistan.
That fact, however, has recently changed. In the latter part of this past year, two U.S. Army engineer companies, the 173rd Combat Support Company and Charlie Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, took a significant step in establishing stability and economic growth outside of Qalat, the provincial capital, by building a road from the capital through 66 kilometers of desolate desert and inaccessible mountains to the district center of Shinkay. This is the first step in a much larger project that calls for the construction of a road to open up the trade route from Qalat all the way to Pakistan.
Haji Delbar Arman, the governor of Zabol Province, made this road his top priority and requested help from Task Force Bayonet, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Task Force Bayonet turned to the 173rd Combat Support Company to develop a comprehensive plan and get the road started.
The Combat Support Company, known as "The Wolverines" and commanded by U.S. Army Capt. Dan Young, was up to the task, and quickly designed a plan to use their engineer expertise and their limited equipment to design, manage and work alongside of local contractors to complete the project.
The Combat Support Company established a base camp, known as Camp Wolverine, near the midpoint of the road, and in the heart of what many Afghan's once considered Taliban sanctuary. Camp Wolverine was built in less than 30 days and initially housed approximately 125 U.S. soldiers and the engineers' equipment in a secure operating base, which allowed the company to both work on the road and secure the surrounding area.
Additionally, the presence of coalition forces quickly won over the local population, denying enemy elements yet another traditional sanctuary in Zabol and further reducing their influence in the province.
In August, elements of 4-2 Kandak of the Afghan National Army arrived at Camp Wolverine, including an Afghan National Army engineer company. The Combat Support Company started training the Afghan National Army engineers on the U.S. equipment and immediately got them involved in the road construction.
By the end of the project, the Afghan National Army soldiers were operating dump trucks and managing the construction of much needed culverts critical to the overall success of the project. This project was one of the first examples of a combined U.S. and Afghan National Army engineer effort and further extended the reach of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the capabilities of the Afghan National Army.
The road was originally scheduled to take five months to build, but numerous difficulties delayed the initiation of construction for several months, and by the time assets were in position, the completion of the project was in jeopardy due to the onset of winter.
Realizing how critical the road would be to the people of the province for the delivery of food, medicine and supplies during the austere winter months, Dan Young looked outside his organization for a helping hand, and found it in Charlie Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, also known as "Team Kodiak," led by U.S. Army Capt. Kim Gage.
Team Kodiak quickly established a base of operations near the terminus of the road in Shinkay, at Forward Operating Base Sweeney. They began construction out of Sweeney, working efficiently on the final 18 kilometers of the road and ensuring the critical project was completed before the first snowfall.
In early December, on a cold, clear morning, Team Kodiak met the Wolverines in the Dab Pass, officially completing the project. As the two commanders chatted within the narrow confines of the pass, local Afghan traffic was already flowing past; the travelers' smiles conveyed their approval of both the new road and the efforts of the engineer companies and the Afghan National Army.
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2006 15:15 |
| Story ID: | 5073 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 277 |
| Downloads: | 49 |
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