KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Naval Mobile Construction Battalions 40 and 18, SeaBees, and the 864th Engineer Battalion, 557th Engineer Company began razing the area around a Soviet grain processing silo for a future 10 mega-watt power plant and a Combat Operation Post in Kandahar City, Kandahar province, Afghanistan Nov. 18.
The COP is planned to be home to a team of soldiers of the 122nd Infantry to support their mission in and around Kandahar. The power plant will be built for the purpose of providing power to the western side of Kandahar city.
The SeaBees were tasked with the demolition of the smaller buildings around the actual silo, and it was estimated that it would take more than two weeks to accomplish the mission.
“It’s a great experience to be able to work with a sister service just to see what the differences are with leadership and construction abilities and daily ops,” said Staff. Sgt. Pedro Armijo, 1st Squad Leader, 2nd Platoon, 557th Engineer Company, 864th Engineer Battalion. “It should be more often that we work with our sister services like Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coalition Forces.”
The 557th Engineer Company received a request to help the SeaBees so they could finish the project earlier than scheduled. The company brought their heavy equipment, excavators and bulldozers to help the SeaBees with their project.
“We came together, active duty and reserve battalions, we meshed right away,” said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Cahoon, NMCB 40 Assistant Officer in Charge. “Anybody looking from the outside in couldn’t tell whose active duty and whose reserve. We clicked and flowed, instantly merged together and became one unit.”
The Soviet silo was built during the occupation of Afghanistan and was left abandoned after their defeat.
Date Taken: | 11.17.2010 |
Date Posted: | 11.29.2010 05:21 |
Story ID: | 61004 |
Location: | KANDAHAR, AF |
Web Views: | 821 |
Downloads: | 27 |
This work, COP Built from History, by SSG Michael Reinsch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.