1erhgnewsletterdec09.. - Red Horse Association

More documents

Recommendations

Info

P a g e 4 R E D H O R S E T i m e s N o v - D e c 0 9 FEATURED SITE—TARIN KOWT By: Capt Ethan England (Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan) Tarin Kowt is home to troops from several nations, primarily Holland, Australia and the United States. RED HORSE here, as elsewhere has proven itself to be a valuable commodity; improving the working conditions as well as the mission effectiveness of the supported units. Here RED HORSE has its own section of Camp Cole, one of several coalition camps on Tarin Kowt. Where we reside in tents, with an easy walk to the Camp Dining Facility, and a new gym which are both in large tents. Prior to the rainy season we have been tasked with the mission of building a four company HQ building in order to get the Army‘s 82 nd Combat Aviation Brigade out of tents and into the dryer working conditions of a SWA hut (a 44 ft. X 110 ft. building made out of plywood). Also the Motor Pool and Supply Yards were sitting in a potential swamp, guarantying not only a miserable but a potentially dangerous work environment during the rainy season. There we have been tasked with creating drainage, a stable surface and a protective wall around the perimeter. As with any RED HORSE project we strive to give the customer all that they expect and more. We make that possible with the high level of professionalism and craftsmanship exuded by our men and women. The Tarin Kowt TEAM Another Day in Paradise! (AKA Bagram, Afghanistan) By Capt Rachel Hamlyn (Bagram, Afghanistan) Bagram Airfield is located in Northern Afghanistan and is the home of approximately 43 active duty and Air National Guard HORSEmen that are deployed from all over the world. The scenery is nice and the deployed conditions aren‘t too bad. The team lives in B- Huts…aka small wooden facilities that have 6-8 rooms in them, where everyone has their own small space. However, the walk to the bathrooms can be pretty cold in the middle of the night. The temperatures at Bagram have gotten as low as 18 degrees during the night. However, when the sun is out, the temperatures are still reaching the low-60s for a few hours during the day. The food at Bagram is great…all you can eat ice cream and cookies…all the time. (There is other good, Home Sweet Home! The Bagram B-Huts healthier food too!) The RED HORSE team at Bagram has completed 3 major construction projects in the last 2 months. Currently the extremely hard-working team is finishing up a large concrete project on the airfield and a large K-Span project. Everyone on the team has been an instrumental player in all of the projects. The vehicle mechanics ensure that all of the vehicles & heavy equipment is working…and when the dirtboys break something, they have it back up-and-running in no time (as long as they have the spare parts). The logistics Airmen ensure that the supplies are being shipped for projects all over Afghanistan, bring lunch to the jobsites to ensure everyone is getting a nutritious meal, as well as make sure that all of the Airmen at Bagram are receiving their care packages from friends and family. The dirtboys place concrete almost every day…one day on the airfield and the next day on the K-Span site. Structures technicians, electricians, plumbers and HVAC techs are busy building interior walls, wiring outlets and installing HVAC systems in the K-span. The work never ends here at Bagram. As the weather gets colder, we will continue to work hard…and wear more clothes! We are looking forward to the snow and rain in the upcoming months as well. Hopefully we will see a white Christmas!!
P a g e 5 R E D H O R S E T i m e s N o v - D e c 0 9 A1C Kendall Drake (Bagram, Afghanistan) A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A1C DRAKE A day in the life of an A1C HORSEman is always a learning experience for me. I am constantly being pushed to do my best by the leadership here in Bagram AF. With this being my first deployment, I have already acquired a considerable amount of experience in my career field as a dirt boy. A typical day for me would consist of getting up and heading to the gym with my fellow airmen, A1C Nate Madsen and A1C Justin Lindblom, and putting up some weight before I get to lead organized PT. I volunteered to be a PTL because I enjoy improving not only my physical fitness abilities, but also my fellow HORSEmen physical fitness. After PT and breakfast, we all gather for our A1C Wilson Bailey (Ali AB, Iraq) The title of this article is the ―Day in the Life of a RED HORSE Airman,‖ unfortunately no two days are the same. As a RED HORSE Airman, I am constantly immersed into different projects where I must apply all my knowledge while simultaneously learning new skill and ―tricks of my trade.‖ To better illustrate this point, I incite you to consider my schedule this very day. In the morn- morning meeting then break off to our respective job sites. During this deployment, I have already been involved in multiple construction projects. My favorite would have to be working on the tie-in we ing, I was on the airfields working on our airfield lighting project; an enterprise where knowledge of saw cutting techniques, as well as concrete (from forming to removing forms) is required. After lunch I was sent to our hospital project where I was required to adequately operate a backhoe in order to install a septic tank. As different as my day may be from hour to hour, there are constants. Without perseverance, a high work ethic and a willingness to accept new and different ideas, RED HORSE would not be the pinnacle of military engineering today. All of this I have learned in the last few months I have spent with RED HORSE as I am currently part of the 5 CES Unit in Minot, North Dakota. I have enjoyed the time that I have spent with them thus far and continue to look forward to the future endeavors of this unit. But work wouldn‘t be work without fun. Through barbecues, volleyball, horseshoes and a number of other activities are doing for the air-field. It‘s enjoyable being able to be working out there and watch the jets taking off and landing. Although, I admit, the K- Span was definitely a learning opportunity, it was my first time experiencing the construction process. Back in the states, I would go to the beach and wake board during my free time. Here in Bagram, I don‘t have that option. Instead I spend most of my time working out, hanging around our b-huts, or getting big off the chow hall food. We are pretty lucky here in BAF; KBR contracting serves up some delicious food. We even get hot meals from them when we are out on the job sites. I am grateful about being airman of the month for the AOR. It is always a good feeling to be recognized for your hard work. A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A1C BAILEY morale is kept at a constant high so that we have the motivation to do our best when it comes time to put on our hard hats and get back in the equipment. And when we finally say goodbye to the desert and head home…we would be able to fill volumes of books with the stories that have come from everyday life in the AOR. From things that one had to be there, to situations that are frustrating at the moment, we will be able to look back at and laugh about. Many stories…from the hot, dusty job site and stories from our comfortable, air conditioned trailers. RED HORSE is full of hard days, fun times, motivation and productivity. We accept all with humility, grace and a willingness to put our heads down and push no matter how hard the situation may be. We have been petitioned with rebuilding Iraq, and so we shall. RED HORSE is essential to the success of democracy in the modern world, and we will stay till the job is done. TO THE HORSE!
Page 1 and 2: R E D H O R S E T i m e s N o v - D
Page 3: R E D H O R S E T i m e s N o v - D
Page 7 and 8: P a g e 7 SrA Joshua Peeler (Southw
Page 9 and 10: P a g e 9 R E D H O R S E T i m e s
Page 15: Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Ope

1erhgnewsletterdec09.. - Red Horse Association

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?