Deployed engineers press to complete construction projects

  • Published
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  With their time in Iraq drawing down, deployed construction experts from the 366th Civil Engineer Squadron continued to push forward to complete a series of construction projects before they're due to return here.

During their time at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, base engineers and members of the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron prepared areas on base for expanded living areas for those stationed there and create additional living space for military forces arriving in Iraq as part of the U.S. military's ongoing troop surge.

"There was a lot of work to do when we started, and we continue to receive new projects to improve the infrastructure of the base," said 1st Lt. Maureen Lewis, chief of design currently deployed from Mountain Home.

"As Al Asad grows, preparing sites for living areas becomes a major priority," said Master Sgt. Louis D'Angelo with the 557th RHRS.

Their primary mission was to ready facilities to "bed down" a squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and support troops as part of the new 438th Air Expeditionary Group.

"We ended up completing the job earlier than requested," said Master Sgt. Mike Judd, who deployed from the Air National Guard's 202nd RED HORSE Squadron at Camp Blanding, Fla. "Our team, comprised largely of Prime BEEF engineers with little heavy construction experience, knew the A-10 mission was absolutely critical to the war effort."

The engineers had a list of about 50 ongoing construction projects at any given time, Lieutenant Lewis said. Among them was an 8,400 square foot K-Span arched-steel structure to house the RED HORSE team. The acronym is short for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers.

Preparing most areas for operations or living space often meant leveling or filling in uneven terrain before any work started. The engineers' "dirt boyz" used their fleet of bulldozers, dump trucks and road graders to level or fill several areas stretching 24,000 to 750,000 square feet. The largest of these projects included moving 19,000 cubic meters of earth filling about 900 dump trucks

When complete, one site will house the base's medical evacuation squadron and provide area for a military exchange, fitness center and dining facility next door to the helicopter landing area. The dirt boyz also prepared 77,000 square feet of space for a new fuel storage and fuel-truck fill station at Al Asad.

Engineers also spent nearly two months building up Forward Operating Base Hammer about 15 miles east of Baghdad, turning an area littered with destroyed buildings and swirling dust into a fully operational base. When fully manned, the base will add "an overwhelming number of troops to the immediate Baghdad area in an effort to squelch ruthless sectarian violence," said 1st Lt. Russell Powell, director of operations with the deployed Air Force and Army engineer team.

Construction at Forward Operating Base Hammer included building five "tent cities" complete with shower, toilet and laundry facilities along with other amenities capable of supporting an entire Army brigade, Lieutenant Lewis said. When finished, the engineers moved on to build new roads and buildings, which he called a "welcomed change" after his team finished putting up more than 300 tents at the base.

"I've never had an experience like having 350 military engineers ... looking to me each day to see where they need to work and what they need to do," Lieutenant Powell said.

The deployment provided valuable training for the Mountain Home engineers, who don't often work directly for RED HORSE teams, according to Staff Sgt. Jacob Thompson, who also deployed from Mountain Home. "This is my third deployment to the AOR, and since I normally just work generator issues, I've picked up a lot more experience working on other jobs here."