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SALAH AH DIN, Iraq -- Last February, the Department of State gave a 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron team was given a unique mission to prepare 3,500 containerized housing units for relocation throughout Iraq.
Four months later, their mission is mostly completed and they have saved the State Department $175 million.
“It feels great that we were able to accomplish our task,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew West, 332nd ECES water systems fuel maintainer.
“It makes us really feel like we are making a difference,” continued the Macon, Ga., native, who is deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan.
The team is composed of 16 Airmen all with different specialties including plumbers, electricians, heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians and even an emergency management airmen who originally came here to do force protection.
“This has been a great learning experience for me because we get to multitask into different jobs that I would not have been able to do at my home unit and we have a good team which helps,” said Senior Airman Rafael Sanchez, 332nd ECES electrician, deployed from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
Sanchez is originally from Polk, Alaska.
Every site was different, but their tasks were similar. The team had to disconnect all the power lines and air conditioning units, remove water to include toilets, showers, sinks, water heaters and sanitation disposal pipes and communication wire.
“We estimate that we will have removed more than 60,000 bolts and about 2.3 tons of communication wire when we are finished,” said Master Sgt. John Becquer, 332nd ECES team lead.
On an average, the team prepared 40-60 wet CHUs per day and 80 dry CHUs per day. Their record was 104 wet CHUs in one day. A wet CHU is one that contains water, such as a bathroom, and a dry CHU does not.
In addition, to preparing CHUs, the team still had to perform their normal CE responsibilities.
“We conducted demolition and site preparation all around the base, as well as, electrical and plumbing work,” said Becquer, also deployed from Kadena AB.
“On top of all that, we prepared 360 other CHUs that will be turned over to the Iraqi government,” added the Miami, Fla., native.
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2011 08:03 |
| Story ID: | 71653 |
| Location: | SALAH AD DIN, IQ |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 332nd ECES saves State Department $175 mil., by Capt. Amber Kelly-Herard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
