Civil engineers arrive in AOR

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Richard Curry
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Oklahoma --  Members of the 507th Civil Engineer Squadron have arrived at various locations in the Southwest Asia area of responsibility in support of military operations.

During the period of August 26 through September 7, 23 wing Airmen arrived at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, three arrived at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, six reported for duty at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, two at Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyz Republic, and another six reported to an undisclosed location.

According to local wing officials, wing civil engineers have already begun engaging in work operations supporting joint expeditionary taskings (JETs). Those deployed to Kandahar are assigned to the 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF (base engineer emergency force) Squadron (EPBS). The Air Force EPBSs stood up in 2009 as a history-making response to a Central Command (CENTCOM) directive to support the growing requirements for U.S. Forces - Afghanistan (USFOR-A).

By unifying civil engineer forces under a single component command - AFCENT - this new construct was designed to provide a unity of command and maximize the spectrum of abilities and talents civil engineer skills bring to the engagement. The 777th EPBS provides a hub out of Kandahar Air Field as wing engineers will begin "outside the wire" sorties in support of USFOR-A priorities.

At Kandahar, wing civil engineers may find themselves helping to maintain the infrastructure required to support the force surge. Elsewhere across the region, their skills will be called upon as they support not only joint warfighter requirements but local community outreach initiatives as well.

One such community outreach effort has already occurred as Staff Sgt. Aimi Mlekoday, an operations management helper, recently got to help out at a Commander Kandahar Air Field (COMKAF)-sponsored Bazaar School. The school started in 2009 after a Dutch warrant officer recognized the need to reach out to the Bazaar merchants by opening a school.

While merchants go through security and set up their booths, the children attend a three-hour morning session of lessons led by a local Pashtun teacher. Some of the 777th members volunteer a Saturday morning every other month to use their civil engineering
skills on the school grounds, grading soccer fields, supporting construction or even painting. Others like Mlekoday spend their time assisting the school staff.

The 507th members are scheduled to return during February and March 2011.