Photo By Maj. Nevin Blankenship | Members of Combined Team Zabul work together to load Alaska barriers onto a flatbed...... read more read more
ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan – When a car bomb blew a 30-foot hole in the wall at Forward Operating Base Smart Aug. 28, members of the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were among the first to respond.
After the explosion, Col. Eric Barr, the 116th IBCT deputy commanding officer, called the brigade logistics section asking for materials to repair the breach in the wall. They responded by providing 27 concrete barriers.
“We walked around post and found what assets were available,” said Maj. Alexandre Oryschak from Staunton, Va., the 116th IBCT logistics officer. “We found the barriers in an isolated area on post. We set up a contract to get a crane and flatbed, load the stuff up and push it out. It’s that simple. We basically find stuff and get it out to units that need it.”
Moving material from one place to another may seem simple enough, but when that material is 30,000 pounds of concrete being transported within a combat zone, it tends to be a little more complicated. There are a lot of factors that go into an operation like this.
“It was a joint operation, and it worked out well,” said Master Sgt. Chris Tomlinson from Victoria, Va., the 116th IBCT logistics noncommissioned officer in charge. “We came together as one team, one fight. From the time we got the call, the major and I went out, found the barriers and made coordination with the 24th (Base Defense Operations Center). We also went to the 59th Engineer Group and got more convoy assets.”
Besides its size and scope, the response time was another aspect that added to the meritorious accomplishment of the mission.
“From start to finish, within 24 hours we had the barriers found, loaded, and moved to FOB Smart,” said Tomlinson. “That was our main goal – secure the compound to keep enemy activity from entering.”
In a combat environment, time is an essential element of any mission. Repairing the breach at FOB Smart within 24 hours is a powerful statement of competency and cooperation among all those involved in the process.
“It sends a message to the insurgents saying, ‘You may blow a hole in our wall, but we’re going to have it fixed pretty much within 12 to 24 hours,’” said Oryschak. “'Whatever you can throw at us, we’ll make it 10 times stronger.'”
Though their performance was commendable, Oryschak says they were just doing their job.
“They caused a lot of damage,” he said. “It’s a big deal. As a logistics officer, it feels good to be able to react to a real event and to be able to make a difference. We’re doing our job out here, and any time we can do our job for real, it’s always good.”
The engineers ended up tearing down the entire existing brick wall at FOB Smart, and used the concrete barriers from FOB Lagman to reinforce the area by creating a stronger wall.
"You don’t want to just have 25 feet of concrete, and then brick wall around it, so they just replaced the whole thing," said Oryschak.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2011 07:08 |
| Story ID: | 76458 |
| Location: | QALAT, AF |
| Web Views: | 1,069 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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