GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – “The ANA (Afghanistan National Army) is a real force multiplier for us, there have been several occasions that we would have been dead in the water without their support,” says the 1022nd Vertical Construction Company’s Commander, Capt. Robert Rogers of Forest Hill, La. The 1022nd VCC falls under the 578th Engineer Battalion, Task Force Mad Dog, and were tasked with a massive construction effort in eastern Afghanistan.
Last fall, TF Mad Dog was challenged with its biggest mission to date: expand several bases in Ghazni province. In addition to it being a harsh winter, they were to partner with an ANA unit in order to train and mentor their construction engineers.
“When we were tasked with this build, I was initially worried about how we were going to maintain our partnership operations,” explains TF Mad Dog ANA coordinator 1st Lt. Joe Lee of Riverside, Calif. “Then we realized that this was a perfect training opportunity to co-locate and partner with an ANA engineer unit at a priority build site.”
Up until this point, most developed U.S. engineer partnerships had been with ANA route clearance coys (companies). The Afghan horizontal and vertical construction units in the area had not been utilized by the coalition forces in their capacity as construction engineers.
Due to their size, competency, location, and the mammoth scope of work for the project, the 1022nd VCC were soon identified as the right company to partner with an ANA engineer coy. Lee was tasked by his higher command, the 18th Engineer Brigade, TF Sword, to find an ANA engineer unit for this partnership. After some searching, he identified an engineer coy from the ANA 203rd Corps. The engineer coy was located relatively close to the 1022nd VCC’s build site, and they were not being utilized as engineers, but rather as an infantry unit.
Lee recognized the potential of this engineer unit and conducted key leader engagements with ANA leadership. General Wafadar, the ANA 3rd Brigade commander, graciously gave his blessing to the proposed move and issued the order for a portion of the unit to relocate.
Once the ANA engineer platoon arrived at FOB Ghazni with their heavy construction equipment, they hungrily began their work. Prior to this build, the ANA soldiers had very little experience on their equipment, mostly due to the lack of fuel and conducting non-engineer missions. Now that they had the support of their superiors and the proper supplies, it seemed nothing could hold back the development of these eager ANA engineers.
As time progressed the proficiency of the ANA soldiers continued to grow, working from maintenance and ordering parts, to conducting full scale operations. In a very short time, the ANA engineer unit was ready to take on their first mission: building a vehicle fighting position. Soon after completion, they were fully integrated into the coalition forces horizontal construction effort.
On their next mission, Sgt. 1st Class Eric Flatmoe of the South Dakota National Guard, a platoon sergeant from the 842nd Horizontal Engineering Company attached to the 1022nd VCC, explains, “In one day, a short day, 8 hours, we were able to put up 633 linear feet of hescos ... I was impressed, really impressed!” (Hescos are giant cloth and wire baskets that when filled with dirt, provide a wall type structure and are used for force protection.)
The ANA coy and their equipment have been essential to the success of the mission staying on track. In order to complete the flooring for the base’s dining facility, the 1022nd VCC were encountering drainage issues at one end of the tent pad which began to cause problems to the foundation. The U.S. excavator required to fix this issue was broken, so they turned to their partners, the ANA coy. They were eager to bring in their equipment to help and were able to repair the issue with minimal assistance from their U.S. counterparts.
The ANA coy quickly became proficient with their equipment according to Flatmoe, “Watching that ANA soldier operate that HYEX (hydraulic excavator) was like watching a perfectly choreographed dance, it was smooth, with no mistakes, and perfectly executed … It was an amazing thing to watch.”
Once the drainage issue was resolved, the 1022nd VCC builders were able to continue the mission. Brig. Gen. James Richardson, Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division stopped by and asked, “When are you going to have this done? three or four days?” Sgt. 1st Class Chris Letendre, 1022nd VCC platoon sergeant of Ruston, La., responded, “No Sir, by close of business tomorrow.” The 1022nd VCC followed through on their commitment and made sure to send Richardson the pictures.
The successful pairing of the 1022nd VCC and the ANA coy on such a massive and important build have brought attention to the project from top leadership in Afghanistan. “It seems like at least once a week there is another general here checking up on the progress and seeing how the soldiers are doing,” says Rogers.
During an engagement between TF Mad Dog Commander Lt. Col. Richard Rabe from Roseville, Calif., and the ANA platoon leader Lt. Shafi, Rabe expresses his gratitude for their hard work and dedication to the project.
Shafi responded, “I am so happy from you guys too, because I have learned a lot from you guys, and I have gotten good experience ... Your soldiers teach us a lot.”
Rogers reflects on the ANA’s impact on the build and states, “The ANA engineer soldiers and their equipment has really kept this build going on so many occasions. When we fell behind because of new construction requirements, the ANA were consistently there to help us catch up. When a key piece of equipment broke down, the ANA had theirs ready to continue the mission.”
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2012 03:03 |
| Story ID: | 87520 |
| Location: | AF |
| Hometown: | RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 166 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Afghan engineers, a crucial force multiplier, by 1LT Adam Carrington, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
