NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan — In early April, the 859th Vertical Construction Company sent a mobile training team to Finley Shields, near Jalalabad, to assist Afghan National Army (ANA) engineers from 4th Brigade, 201st Corps in expanding their tactical operations center (TOC).
When the team from the 859th met their Afghan partners, they knew they were in for a challenge.
The Afghan soldiers who joined them on the job site were all horizontal engineers, trained in building roads and earthmoving operations, and were unfamiliar with constructing buildings. The 859th team set out first to teach vertical construction techniques to the Afghans, who quickly learned the new skill set.
“It was a cakewalk really,” said Sergeant Keiane Magee, a native of Hattiesburg Miss., commenting on how fast the Afghan engineers learned the trade. “They would direct me to where the right cuts were.”
As the non-commissioned officer in charge at the job site, Magee frequently met with the 4th Brigade leadership to ensure the construction was being built to their specifications.
Originally they were to construct a brand-new TOC, but the plan shifted to building expansions and remodeling the existing one. One large room, previously used as a gym, was divided into individual offices for the brigade operations personnel.
Both the American and Afghan teams were a half-dozen strong and worked throughout the first half of April.
Equipment was initially a concern, as the Afghan engineers did not own carpentry-specific tools for the task. The 859th Eng. Co. team showed them how to put together saw horses and miter boxes, and after seeing what was needed for the project, the Afghans traveled to the local market and purchased tool sets for themselves, including an expensive table saw.
“I don’t care what you do, it’s looking good. Great job,” commented Afghan Gen. Dadan Lawang, the brigade commander, with a smile. He, along with Major General Waziri, the ANA’s 201st Corps commander, made several trips to the construction site and expressed their excitement about the progress. The U.S. engineers mostly advised, while the Afghan engineers took the lead, planning and building the TOC expansions themselves.
When the project was at 90 percent completion, the Afghan engineers told their U.S. partners to go ahead and take some time off. They were ready to prove themselves to General Lawang that they could put the finishing touches on the building by themselves.
The ANA’s 4th Brigade leadership and its engineers presented the Soldiers from the 859th with certificates of appreciation to thank them for all their help and training.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2013 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 106359 |
| Location: | NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 271 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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