Photo By Sgt. Amanda White | Spc. William Palmeri, a carpentry and masonry specialist with the 60th Engineer...... read more read more
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By Spc. Amanda Morrissey
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
KIRKUK, Iraq – The shopping area is the heart of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Warrior, located near Kirkuk, Iraq. With the gym on one end, the Post Exchange (PX) on the other, a coffee shop, and a smattering of small shops and food stands, it is an epicenter of activity where service members go to shop, relax, and eat.
In the center of all this, a wooden skeleton rises up to the sky, a project in the middle of its completion. Airmen from the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron and Soldiers from the 60th Engineering Company have combined forces to build a stage for USO tours and special events, rounding out the area's atmosphere of entertainment.
"The idea for the stage came from the unit on the previous rotation," said Tech Sgt. Clay Bucy, the structural journeyman in charge of the project. "It'll be used for any USO tours that come here, commander's formations, and special events."
Even though it is still under construction, the stage has already hosted its first official event, which was the sunrise service on Easter Sunday.
The stage is special for more reasons than the entertainment it will provide to service members stationed at FOB Warrior. It also marks the first time Army and Air Force engineers come together to work on a project.
The stage is an 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineering project, but the squadron has a limited number of personnel to work on several projects currently underway. In order to get the stage completed in an acceptable amount of time, the airmen were going to need help, Bucy said.
"I asked my leadership about having 60th Engineer Soldiers help us out on this," Bucy said. "A week later, their first sergeant sent over about four guys to the site."
The Soldiers involved in the project are only too happy to lend their assistance. The 60th Engineer Company mission consists mainly of crater repair, route sanitation and force protection, so the stage project is a nice change of pace for the Soldiers.
"The project is kind of unique because we're working with the Air Force guys, and we don't usually work with them," said Capt. William Tyndall, the company commander for 60th Engineer Co. "It's pretty good because it's a mission we haven't done before."
The number of Soldiers involved in the project fluctuates daily, depending on 60th Engineer mission. Altogether, around twelve service members work on the project, Bucy said.
Spc. William Palmeri, a carpentry and masonry specialist with 60th Engineer Co., is a regular at the worksite. When he's not out doing crater repair or route sanitation, he works with the Air Force on the stage every chance he gets, he said.
"It's nice to be able to do something different. It's a chance for me to actually do my military occupational specialty (MOS)," Palmeri said. "It gives me an opportunity to practice the skills I've learned and to gain experience."
It is a pleasant environment to gain that experience for those involved in the project. The construction site a no-salute area, intended to keep those involved focused on the job without having to worry about observing formalities, Bucy said.
This has the added benefit of inducing a close camaraderie between the Airmen and Soldiers. Rank and branch are put aside and everyone is on a first-name basis, encouraging not only a team spirit among the service members, but friendships as well.
It is in this relaxed work site, where rank is set aside and everyone knows everyone else's first name, that Army and Air Force engineers can push back the reality of deployment and do something they enjoy – build stuff.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2007 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 10132 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 443 |
| Downloads: | 415 |
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