CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - It has been this latest addition to our workload that has led us to making our biggest impact on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, since October 2011.
The Zone 6 Camp Command Cell’s Contracting Officer Representative section has removed over 10 KMS trailers (government leased shower latrine trailers), 40 ILUs (government owned porta-johns), and 140 APUs (government leased porta-johns). It has recently reached a high point when in a four-day period the COR section removed 103 leased APUs from service.
This was a major muscle movement in the Army’s initiative to save millions of dollars on showers and latrines in Kuwait. Our mission did not originally include this duty however, once the transition of soldiers out of Southwest Asia began, it only made sense to reduce the amount spent on unneeded items.
There are several steps involved in the removal of unneeded latrines with the first step identifying those units that are underutilized and/or expendable which takes a tremendous amount of time. This is done by a careful analysis of current population levels and anticipated future usage. The second step involves discussing with tenant units to see what their preference is as to which units are taken or left behind based on their needs.
Finally, the logistics of the moves can begin. These include ensuring the latrines have had all plumbing and electricity disconnected and that the contractor is able to supervise their movement. The COR section must also submit composite risk management statements for approval: adjust their schedule to allow these moves to be done.
Spc. Jonathan Card of Las Vegas, Nev., who extended with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion after already serving a year in theater said, “I am responsible for escorting TCNs, placing and finding areas of the latrines and making sure they are completely empty and nothing can break in transit. It’s a lot of work, but at the end of the day it’s fulfilling knowing we are saving the government money.” “Maybe they’ll give us an increase on our pay” Card said jokingly.
The COR section has also recently taken on minor repairs of government owned showers and latrines such as replacing shower heads, shower curtains, lights and fire extinguishers. The biggest addition to their work load has been removing showers and latrines that are no longer needed from service while simultaneously conducting the primary mission of daily latrine and laundry trailer inspections and camp command cell work orders.
Sgt 1st Class Paul Hoffman, COR representative from Sleepy Eye, Minn., who is an Army engineer with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, said, “One thing that needs to be noted is that we take a high level of satisfaction from these moves. First, we realize that we are saving the taxpayers large amounts of money. Second, this provides a chance to interact with TCNs who assist us and has given us the chance to experience a different culture than that of the normal American military. I can say that I have had the chance to get to know people from many countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Finally, it is a good feeling to be able to see the result of your efforts and be able to say that I helped accomplish that.”