Photo By Sgt. Samuel A. Nasso | Pfc. Christopher Rainboat, a heavy equipment operator for Marine Wing Support Squadron...... read more read more
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CAMP DWYER, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — A revolution has been occurring, as Marine Wing Support Squadron 372 "Diamondbacks", Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, have tirelessly made significant changes to the airfield here.
Since the Diamondbacks arrived in Afghanistan in late September, they have been responsible for the revolution of the runway here for Marine Aircraft Group 40's assets.
In just over four months, they have built a parking ramp for KC-130 "Hercules" aircraft, repaired the runway, built a parking ramp for rotary and tiltrotor aircraft, installed a Tactical Airfield Fueling Dispersing System and connected all the ramps to the runway by building taxiways for the various aircraft.
The improvements to the C-130 parking ramp consisted of laying approximately 145,000 square feet of aluminum matting, increasing the amount of incoming troops and supplies that can be brought in.
"The C-130 ramp allows more than one C-130 to be on station at one time," said Master Sgt. Daniel DeVries, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the MWSS-372 detachment here. "Two can park on the ramp and one can take off or land on the runway, creating more flexibility and allowing more supplies to flow in."
The north parking ramp was expanded with more than 340,000 square feet of aluminum matting, which increased the amount of aircraft that can park at the airfield. Additionally, the ramp increases traffic flow by acting as a taxiway for aircraft to access the newly-installed TAFDS when another aircraft is landing or taking off on the runway.
The TAFDS is a fuel pit with the square footage of nearly one and a half football fields and the ability to refuel multiple aircraft at the same time. The TAFDS also provides triple the amount of fuel of previous fueling pits, minimizing the amount of time an aircraft needs to spend on the ground.
The work the Diamondbacks have done to Camp Dwyer has not come easily. The squadron was working diligently on three major earthmoving projects only to encounter a new obstacle in the middle of December. They had to pull up the old landing strip and parking ramp due to the wear resulting from the high volume of traffic on the airfield.
"Our Marines were in high gear, working nonstop to get multiple projects done to meet timelines," said DeVries. "With all of our forward momentum coming to a dead stop, it was like being kicked in the teeth."
Before the Marines had to halt their other projects, their Air Force counterparts took charge to lead a combined effort to get the runway operational again.
"When the news came down, they were all over it like a fat kid on cake," said DeVries.
The 809th Expeditionary RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) Squadron assisted MWSS-372 by preparing all of the groundwork, which allowed the expeditionary airfield Marines to lie matting simultaneously.
"The work that RED HORSE did freed our Marines to focus on laying aluminum matting for the runway and C-130 ramp, but also to focus on the multiple other projects that had to be done to meet the timelines," Devries said.
"It was a chance to show what we are capable of and what we usually do anyways," said Sgt. Sacramento Gonzalez, a heavy equipment dispatcher for MWSS-372.
Currently, the Diamondbacks are working on expanding the runway and adding a south parking ramp similar to the north parking ramp.
"We can't overlook the capabilities of these projects," said DeVries. "[They] extend the ability for the air combat element to reach the entire area of operations."
The Diamondbacks are responsible for placing more than one million square feet of aluminum matting here so far, with more projects in store for the future.
"The Marines never stop and don't complain," said 2nd Lt. Chad Presley, the heavy equipment platoon commander. "They came in and did exactly what I expected from them."
After four months, more than one million square feet of aluminum matting, close to 101,000 cubic yards of dirt, and countless man hours, the Diamondbacks' Camp Dwyer revolution has improved the capabilities of MAG-40 as operations in Afghanistan continue to expand.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2010 00:14 |
| Story ID: | 45821 |
| Location: | CAMP DWYER, AF |
| Web Views: | 629 |
| Downloads: | 238 |
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