CAMP SABALU-HARRISON, Afghanistan - At the Afghan National Detention Facility-Parwan, the future is now in the hands of the Afghan National Army - not just in detainee care, but also in facility maintenance.
The ANA and U.S. forces at the ANDF-P put together a Repairs and Utilities shop or R and U, for short, to provide care for the facilities in which house detainees. Throughout the past year, the goal of the program has been to train as many ANA soldiers as possible and minimize U.S. assistance. The ability for the R and U program to sustain operations is of high importance to the ANA forces.
“I think it is the most important mission in the ANDF-P for the long-term survival of the facility,” said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Francis Arotin, a carpenter from Chardon, Ohio, deployed with Task Group Trident at the ANDF-P and who redeployed in early April 2013. “The [ANA] soldiers in R and U are the ‘go-to’ people for a lot of issues, and most things that seem simple on the surface require a lot of effort to get accomplished.”
While the U.S. R and U personnel served as the primary facility maintainers for the past few years, the torch now rests in the hands of the ANA, in the form of welding torches, hammers and screw guns. Though there was a learning curve at first for the ANA, the success is moving beyond the initial push by employing a “train-the-trainer” method.
“First I would make or repair something with their help, and then they would make or repair with my help, then they were on their own unless they asked for help,” explained Arotin. “After our first crew stood up, we were able to use them to train the future groups while giving them enhanced training.”
A difference between the U.S. and ANA armies is that Afghan soldiers don’t enlist for a specific job; they enlist as basic soldiers. After four weeks of training, they are then tested individually to determine each soldier’s literacy level. For Mohammad Salim, an ANA soldier and carpenter with the ANDF-P R and U, that test was his chance to be more than a basic soldier.
“Once they found out I could read and write they placed me in R and U,” said Salim.
While growing up, Salim made the choice to go to school and learn the valuable skills of reading and writing, something that set him apart from his fellow soldiers. Salim knows that the time has come for the Afghans to manage the ANDF-P on their own, so while there is much progress already accomplished, there is still more work to do.
“I am a carpenter, so if it is a carpentry job I can do it, but not all the stuff here. I need to learn other professions too,” explained Salim.
The need for multifaceted ANA soldiers is something that the U.S. trainers recognize and consider a priority.
“Now the push is for cross-training to greatly expand our capabilities and help when they leave for [rest and relaxation] or when we have a spike of work in one of the trades,” explained Arotin.
The R and U is a well-rounded and highly trained shop and will keep the facility running and capable of housing the detainees.
“If the ability to maintain a facility to a minimum standard is not obtainable, then the mission will fail due to poor working conditions, health issues, affected morale, etc.,” emphasized U.S. Army Spc. Bobby Huff, Jr., an operator in R and U from Tallahassee, Fla., and deployed with the 160th Military Police Battalion.
Standing up a strong R and U shop at the ANDF-P not only benefits the facility, it benefits the country of Afghanistan as well, said Salim.
“It’s good that I am learning from the U.S. soldiers, and once I am done with the army, I can go out and start my own shop,” said Salim, who plans on serving three years with the ANA, and then return home to use his acquired carpentry skills to provide for his family and improve the quality of life overall for his village.
Other ANA soldiers feel that their duty doesn’t just stop at the ANDF-P or their own village.
“I can take advantage of this shop and teach other soldiers who are serving my country,” said Hussein, an ANA soldier and plumber at the ANDF-P who plans to serve in the army as long as he can.
The joint-force R and U shop built some integral parts of the ANDF-P, such as shelves welded into the new housing units to hold reading materials, retrofitted shower heads to prevent leakage, modifications to a building to facilitate phone calls home for detainees, and tables and chairs for classrooms in the detainee housing units. While all of these major projects are of note, something bigger was built in the R and U shop: a team.
“It was beneficial to work together as a team,” said Huff. “Relationships of positive natures create advancement in future endeavors. With the ANA in R and U, we have developed a trusted relationship that allows each to perform at their own pace or skill level.”
“I am really happy to work with the Americans side-by-side,” said Salim. “I am learning from their experience, and if we have any problem, they can help us.”
In building that team, Arotin said he learned a valuable lesson.
“People are people. The ANA soldiers are as diverse and as capable as the U.S. forces. The ANA have to overcome greater obstacles due to the environment they were raised in, but they strive to do their best.”
And Hussein said he believes their best is what will keep the ANDF-P walls standing and strong.
“I feel very good to be part of the group doing an important job in the ANDF-P and soon, we would like to have all the responsibilities and run this place,” said the ANA plumber.
With the troop drawdown on the horizon, soon the ANA hammer will be the only one around, and it will continue to build and maintain Afghanistan’s future, keeping a strong and steady rhythm.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2013 06:12 |
| Story ID: | 107227 |
| Location: | CAMP SABALU-HARRISON, AF |
| Hometown: | CHARDON, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 243 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Afghan National Army leads the way wielding screw guns and welding torches, by Kathryn Summerhill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
