Task Force Forager R44 Dept. The Seabee “Can Do” attitude with “joint effort toward a common goal.”

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Jared Young | Thirty NCR and the R44 department assist the command and control element within Task Force Forager which is responsible for all construction engineering and engineering support in southern and western Afghanistan. Task Force Forager includes construction units from the Navy, Army and Air Force.  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

10.02.2011

Story by Chief Petty Officer Jared Young 

30th Naval Construction Regiment

By Chief Petty Officer Christopher B. Willard
30th Naval Construction Regiment

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- One of the primary missions of the 30th NCR in Afghanistan is to task, manage, and ensure the completion of critical engineering projects assigned to subordinate commands within Task Force Forager. As one the cornerstones of the R4 Logistics Department, the R44 division has a very important and highly visible role that contributes greatly to this mission within the regiment and the Task Force as a whole. Our primary mission is receive, store, inventory, maintain and distribute building materials, also known as Class IV, valued in the millions of dollars. With over 2,000 different types of materials, they range from door knobs to lumber to power generation equipment and everything in between. These materials are literally the building blocks for construction projects in remote locations throughout the southern half of Afghanistan. Due to the vast distance between here and the supply point origins, delivery of building materials for a project can take anywhere from weeks to months depending upon the item requested. In most cases, engineering projects tasked to subordinate units are required to be started on short notice. Waiting for all the necessary materials to arrive from Europe or overseas in the United States in order to execute, can cause an unacceptable delay in the required completion dates given. This is where our division is given the opportunity to shine. With the recent requirement from our higher authority, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, obligating the 30th NCR to have on hand the materials to complete several projects, this delay factor has essentially been eliminated. On several occasions since our arrival in theater, the men and women of the R44 division have directly contributed to the success of construction projects by maintaining the ability to supply Task Force Forager units with their material needs at a moment’s notice. This task requires vast coordination between subordinate unit's surplus stock, surplus stock of adjacent commands and the Supply Support Activity yards. This becomes quite a challenge due to the fact these resources are located throughout the entire country. As trucks loaded with containers full of materials pour into Kandahar Airfield, our troops are responsible for the unloading and staging of the contents. These materials are then inventoried and made available to the Task Force units for pick up or delivery. Our number one priority is customer service and this service has been recognized not only at the top levels of the regiment, but at USFOR-A as well.

The division officer, Lt. Austin Rutkowski, has gained a firm grasp regarding the intricacies of networking across services to across the country. He works with Navy, Army and Air Force units in order to keep the materials flowing in and out of the Class IV yard. Within weeks of arriving, Rutkowski discovered and tapped into a little known source of hard to find materials that has been crucial to our mission success. He coordinates with supply officers and project managers from Task Force Forager units on a daily basis to ensure demands are met. His knowledge of logistics as a Supply Corps officer has proven beneficial in funding and obtaining power generation supplies. Without power generation to provide electricity, all the lumber in the country for these projects would be worthless. When asked about overcoming obstacles thus far, he replied “The biggest challenge we face is also our biggest strength.

Communicating across several different branches of service initially proved difficult, but has since evolved into our greatest asset; our mutual trust and respect that have grown into a joint effort toward a common goal.”

Builder Chief Petty Officer Christopher B. Willard holds the division chief position. In addition to managing the personnel in the 44 shop, he coordinates inventory lists, material delivery oversight to subordinate units and proofs Bill of Material requests. His experience as a general contractor in the civilian sector has become valuable in order to find solutions to supply shortages by substituting materials that are available and suitable. His expertise regarding in rate knowledge has also contributed to the completion of several small scale carpentry projects for not only the regiment itself, but other units as well.

The Leading Petty Officer, Petty Officer 1st Class Petty Officer Michael Powell, works primarily out of an office located on site at the Class IV yard. He is responsible for the supervision of Seven 30th NCR personnel and cross assigned members. These members include an Army specialist and a petty officer third class from subordinate units. Powell coordinates with the SSA yard, the Central Receiving and Shipping Point, and the Host Nation Trucking through ESP’s in order to receive and stage incoming Class IV materials. His crisis management abilities of over 6 million dollars of Class IV have been vital to the task of off loading materials that arrive in containers on private contracted trucks. Powell works with a very diverse group of people to include DOD civilian contractors, local national truckers, Army, Navy, Air Force, And Foreign Military personnel. Keeping inventory records up to date in a fluid environment has been a challenge Powell has taken on very effectively. He has become the hinge pin between the division leadership and activities taking place in the yard.

Petty Officer 1st Class Mitchell Dotson is assigned as the Class IV Yard “Boss” and the regiment’s primary mechanic. His duties as the encompass monitoring the work completed within the yard, escorting host nation truckers, organization of materials staged in the yard and direct supervision of materials loaded for delivery to Task Force units. His excellent ability to multi task has been displayed by performing his duties as a supervisor and his secondary role as a mechanic. Dotson is responsible for the maintenance and repairs to the regiment’s vehicle assets and power generation equipment. As the only direct labor mechanic within the unit, this responsibility rests solely upon his shoulders. His in rate knowledge and direct supervision skills have become invaluable at the deck plate level.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Heranio Wagayan, Petty Officer 2nd Class Lee Granger, and Seaman Nicole Turner represent the primary work force of the operation. They are responsible for operating the material handling equipment, movement of materials and the inventory of containers located within the yard. Wagayan is also responsible for the various construction tools we use to complete projects and make repairs. Granger’s skills in air conditioning are constantly relied upon to repair and replace HVAC units within the regiment’s office spaces as well as other commands needing our assistance. As a junior sailor, Turner has displayed the drive and motivation that all leaders value from their members. Not only is she becoming proficient with her builder skills, she has become a natural outside her rate in the operation of material handling equipment.

The R44 mission has many moving parts and has become a very successful team due to the diverse background and skills of each of its members. The Seabee “Can Do” mentality and pride is exhibited in every aspect of our operations.

• Date Taken: 10.02.2011
• Date Posted: 10.17.2011 13:41
• Story ID: 78624
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF