Photo By Cpl. Ryan Young | Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271carry pieces of a hangar, known as a clam...... read more read more
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AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — The combat engineers of Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 stepped up to a new challenge May 9, tearing down an expeditionary-style hangar known as a clam shell without any previous know-how or knowledge about the structure.
Approximately 21 Marines worked on the project, scheduled to take five days, disassembling the clam shell one bolt at a time and taking inventory of every piece before packing the materials away for shipment to Afghanistan.
"I have never seen one of these structures before and it is a major challenge to learn how to take it apart safely," said Sgt. Jarrod Wayman, a combat engineer with MWSS-271. "The biggest thing here is making sure this clam shell can be put back up once it is deconstructed."
The clam shell was built aboard Al Asad around 2006 and was used by the Air Force as a hangar and maintenance facility, said Master Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Basso, the 2nd MAW (Forward) engineer officer. The responsible drawdown in Iraq has reduced the presence of aircraft aboard the base, leaving some structures, such as the clam shell, vacant.
"Just like we have been seeing with troop transitions to Afghanistan, there is also a call for equipment," explained Basso.
Figuring out how to disassemble the clam shell was a test of adaptation abilities and skill for the combat engineers. Instructions were unavailable until mere days before the project began, and bringing down the structure expediently left little time for the Marines to follow the directions verbatim. This certainly didn't stop the Marines from trying though, and with safety being paramount, the Marines took no chances.
"We are collectively figuring it out," said Wayman. "We aren't taking in the whole write-up at once; just reading one paragraph at a time and then interpreting and possibly deviating slightly to fit what tools we have available. We were thinking we would have to figure this thing out with no instructions, so they are definitely helpful."
Another challenge the Marines faced was packing the materials so they could be shipped, without damage, to Operation Enduring Freedom. The clam shell was originally packaged in 16 boxes by the manufacturer. The Marines had to find a way around the absence of the original packaging.
"We are looking at the way the instructions show packing layouts and then trying to adjust to fit all the materials into five [International Standards Organization] containers," explained Cpl. David Hudson, a combat engineer with MWSS-271. "Staying organized is going to help out us and whoever reassembles this, so we are inventorying everything."
Wayman went on to say the combat engineers are always expanding their capabilities while deployed, because they are always finding new ways to use their skills to help.
"Everyone here is excited in the fact this is something new; something a little out of the ordinary and it is a learning experience," said Wayman.
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 05.27.2009 08:16 |
| Story ID: | 34149 |
| Location: | AL ASAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 171 |
This work, A Workhorse first: engineers disassemble, pack up hangar for use in Afghanistan, by Cpl Ryan Young, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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