Courtesy Photo | A crane, operated by a local national, carefully places the top layer of a security...... read more read more
CAMP DEHDADI II, Afghanistan – The allied trades section of 514th Support Maintenance Company, 378th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, dismantled eight security towers and had them shipped throughout Afghanistan to be recycled.
The allied trades section in Camp Dehdadi II consists of three machinists, Spc. Teary Ing, Spc. Harold Allen, and Sgt. Jason Cooke. Other members of the team include Staff Sgt. Kenneth Perna, section noncommissioned officer in charge, and Warrant Officer Dewey Adams, allied trades technician. At first, they estimated the task to take more than a week; however, working as two teams, they successfully deconstructed the security towers in an impressive three days.
Adams stated the relocation of the towers would save U.S. Army time and money. The purpose of the deconstruction was not only to dismantle the towers but also to allow them to be relocated to current and future International Security Assistance Force locations throughout Afghanistan.
“These type of work orders allow soldiers to not only perform their military occupational specialty, but also gain valuable experience that can be used later in their career,” said Adams. “During deployments soldiers in our MOS can demonstrate their capabilities and prove how much of an asset they are to the Army.”
For some soldiers this was the first time they had the opportunity to perform their job in a deployed environment.
“I’ve been deployed as a welder before but this was the first deployment I was able to weld,” said Cooke.
The section used exothermic and oxyacetylene torches to carefully deconstruct the security towers. They devised a method in which to separate the towers into transportable sections allowing them to be easily reconstructed upon arrival to their final destination. This allowed them to recycle 95 percent of the metal and materials used to construct the towers.
According to Adams, the tear down of the towers was not the biggest challenge.
“The biggest challenge was insuring soldiers stayed hydrated while working in temperatures as hot as 110 degrees,” said Adams. “Working in the heat for 12 hours, while wearing protective welding leathers and using cutting torches that burned at more than 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit, was very challenging.”
“Heat was a definite issue. We would swap out, take turns and take breaks when needed,” Cooke added. “Safety was a big concern because of the heavy objects.”
Despite the heat and risks, the allied trades section safely and successfully dismantled the security towers contributing to the closure of Camp Dehdadi II and increasing security at three other ISAF locations.
“The section has soldiers who are extremely hard working and determined to find ways to accomplish any task,” said Adams.
| Date Taken: | 07.27.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2012 03:04 |
| Story ID: | 92480 |
| Location: | CAMP DEHDADI II, AF |
| Web Views: | 484 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldiers dismantle and recycle towers, by 2LT Sylvia Thomas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
