Photo By Sgt. Casey Collier | Members of the Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 133, work on the Tactical Operations...... read more read more
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CAMP NATHAN SMITH, Kandahar City, Afghanistan—When one walks into the old cannery warehouse on the western side of the Camp Nathan Smith compound here in Kandahar City, they’ll notice a dark expanse dimly lit through broken windows and surrounded by cracked, brick columns that reach from the concrete floor to the 20-foot high ceiling.
But after an initial inspection of the cannery, something more subtle begins to come into view- graffiti on the dusty, white walls, scrawled there in Arabic script by former prisoners that were chained along the very same walls when the cannery was used by the Taliban as a prison.
The cannery was erected in the early 1970’s, funded by Czech investors, and for nearly 20 years was fully operational, employing more than 1,200 citizens of Kandahar City at its peak.
When the Mujahedeen took over in 1992, they closed the cannery and turned it into a prison.
It remained a prison for nine years until the Taliban fled in 2001. Then, in 2005, the Canadian government took over the property to build Camp Nathan Smith.
Today, the old cannery is changing again.
The sound of pounding hammers and the buzzing of saws echo throughout. It is the sound of another incarnation, this time as part of an expansion effort to accommodate the influx of future occupants here at CNS.
The battalion in charge of transforming the cannery into a Joint Operations and Tactical Operations Center is a Navy Seabee Battalion.
“The Seabees on the ground here at Camp Nathan Smith have exceeded my highest expectations and have continued to impress me daily,” said Officer in Charge, LTJG Craig Lawson, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133.
“Our small unit leaders have taken ownership of this expansion project and are looking to exceed the required quality of construction, while finishing ahead of schedule.”
NMCB 133, hailing from Gulfport, Miss., has been in Afghanistan since early March, and began construction on the cannery June 12th.
The cannery is only part of a larger expansion project, including six office buildings and widened lanes for vehicle travel, which will most likely be complete before the 133rd are finished with the entire project.
“A typical day on this site consists of almost 50 personnel working on two different TOCs/JOCs simultaneously, and the rest of the camp’s expansion is being completed by additional Seabees,” said Lawson.
In total, the expansion project will provide 25,216 square feet of space on CNS, with the estimated completion date of the project set for later this summer.
Engineering Aid 2nd Class Zachary Cunningham, NMCB 133, is in charge of quality control at the cannery site.
“As soon as we get to a site, we are expected to make significant progress, and it’s normally with short timelines,” said Cunningham. “Being able to build here, we feel like we’re now able to contribute to the mission here.”
As the cannery takes on its newest role, and goes through its most dramatic physical transformation since its original construction, it continues to stand as a symbol of change and progress in Kandahar City. The Seabees are glad to be a part of that change.
“I’m just really proud to be here,” said Cunningham, “I’m really proud to see all these Americans here. We are working to bring peace to this country. We are working to bring freedom to a country that doesn’t have that right now. It’s a real good feeling.”
This week the graffiti on the cannery walls will disappear behind fresh paint- and with its disappearance will go the remnants of such a time when the cannery housed despair and frailty.
When the construction is done on the cannery and the new doors open, so does a new chapter in the book of CNS, and the building that continues to change along with this city.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2010 02:25 |
| Story ID: | 51944 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR CITY, AF |
| Web Views: | 624 |
| Downloads: | 363 |
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