Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrice Clarke | U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Shifflett checks a fuel pressure gauge while offloading fuel at...... read more read more
FOB SMART, Afghanistan - From room assignments to fuel levels, food supply to day-worker assignments, there are two people on Forward Operating Base Smart, the home of the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team, who make it their business to ensure that everything is running smoothly.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt Jose Echeona and Sgt Ryan Shifflett are the FOB mayor and deputy mayor respectively and according to the two, there is never a dull moment on the job.
“You never know what each day might bring in this job,” said Echeona, the Gaithersburg, Md, native. “One day you could be working with the fuel system and the next figuring out lodging for 20 visitors. The job is constantly changing.”
Making sure that the FOB stays running was not what the two deployed for more than six months before. As civil affairs reservists, deployed from the 450th Civil Affairs Battalion out of Riverdale, Md., the two were set to interact with provincial government officials.
“I came out here with the purpose of going out on convoys and doing my job as CA,” said Echeona. “When I was put in this position, I just kept putting one foot forward because it was a different opportunity.”
They two don’t do it alone. Since they received no training on the position of FOB Mayor they routinely reach out to other entities for assistance.
“We’ve both never done this before and it has kind of been a trial by fire type of situation,” said Echeona. “We’ve had a lot of assistance from Brigade, the folks at Kandahar Air Field and our leadership here. Everyone has been an excellent source of help.”
Shifflett, a Washington D.C. police officer, jokes that the job differs greatly from his civilian job but ‘people like him more’ as the mayor.
“All joking aside, the job as FOB Mayor does have its similarities mainly that I deal with all types of people in both jobs” said Shifflett. “From the local nationals to the higher ranking visitors, we interact with everyone.”
Shifflett doesn’t mind that interaction, doesn’t mind the job because of the bigger picture.
“The Mayor’s Cell worries about the little things,” said Shifflett, an Annapolis, Md. native. “If the folks here have a good dining facility, running water, heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, offices, living spaces; all things we as the Mayor’s Cell handle, then those same folks can focus on their convoy or dismount outside the wire and on completing that mission.
According to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Justin Kraft, Z PRT commander, the Mayor’s Cell provides FOB residents and himself peace of mind.
“For all the folks who have to engage outside the wire, it takes a big load off their shoulders knowing they aren’t going to have to worry about the little things,” said Kraft. “They just know that they don’t have to worry about it because Echeona and Shifflett are on the job. It’s an expectation that they have built for themselves, they take pride in what they do and it produces superior results.”
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2013 04:32 |
| Story ID: | 105955 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE SMART, AF |
| Hometown: | RIVERDALE PARK, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 392 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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