Coalition Forces Deliver Cement to Remote Afghan Village

Defend America News ^ | Senior Master Sgt. Pete Casiano

[SandRat]

Coalition Forces Deliver Cement to Remote Afghan Village
An irrigation canal, built with the cement, will supply water for drinking and for the crops.
By Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Pete Casiano Provincial Reconstruction Team - Gardez PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006 -- The 3rd Brigade Support Troops Battalion’s Civil Affairs Team in coordination with the Gardez Provincial Reconstruction Team delivered more than 1,200 pounds of concrete to a remote mountain village in Paktya Province. The Coalition forces stationed in Gardez traveled with the Paktya Director of Irrigation to the remote mountain village of Azghana. The cement will be used to build a new irrigation canal. Village elder, Gul Faraz, said the canal will supply water important for local crops and villagers. “We need more drinking water,” he said. “Also, the water is important for the trees. This project is important because the water is too far away. We need a way to bring the water to our crops and to our people during winter.” Paktya Province’s Director of Irrigation Mohammed Zahir conducted an assessment of the village’s irrigation needs. He expects the canal to increase the amount of water delivered to the 2,000 people who live in the area and to assist them in farming their land. It is a project that Faraz said is possible because of the improved security provided by Coalition forces. “The Coalition forces are here for our benefit,” he said. “They have brought security to our areas. We are able to maintain our farms because of the security provided by the Coalition forces.” This is the second load of cement the	Villagers unload 100-pound bags of cement provided by 3rd Brigade Support Troops Battalion’s Civil Affairs Team in Azghana, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Pete Casiano soldiers have provided to Azghana. They have now delivered more than 3,000 pounds of cement to help the villagers build their canal.

[C210N]

Any cement left over may be of use as shoes for those not with the program.

[SandRat]

Now what was it that that Democrat Ding-A-Ling said last nite on the TV??? Oh Yeah! Not as single bit of rebuilding has been done in Afghanistan.

[KoRn]

Eventhough this is a positive thing. Still, a part of me gets irritated when I read something like this. Our military should be in the business of killing people and breaking things. Stuff like this is for the 'blue helmet guys' and or the French.

[kinoxi]

It's generally more efficient to set up the concrete manufacturing process on site. The cement they are shipping in is a token of respect. They don't don't want to build too much infrastructure (ie. cement factories) that can have dual use. Don't want to give them enough tools to harden bunkers.

[samadams2000]

Deliver MOABs. I paid for them.

[Parley Baer]

Hahahaha. My exact thought.

[thomaswest]

Totally stupid article. 1,200 pounds of concrete to a remote mountain village in Paktya Province.

A cubic meter of concrete weighs about 1800 kg. A good concrete mix uses 22-27 kg of cement with sand, gravel, crushed stone, and about 70 liter of water. So we have, 70 kg water, 25 kg cement, and 1700 kg of aggregate for a cubic meter of concrete.

And they talk about 1200 pounds = 550 kg? = 1/3 cubic yard. Hardly enough for a patio.

Maybe they mean 550 kg of cement. One man can carry at most 25 kg = 55 lbs. Especially for any distance and at altitude. So 550 kg = 22 men.

1.2 tons cement (550 kg) in one day or 10 days? 22 men in one day or 2 men over ten days?

1/3 cubic meter of concrete is trivial. 550 kg of cement leaves where did the aggregate come from? Who packed in the 20 kg bags of cement? The story does not make sense.

[ElCid89]

I was thinking the same thing, twelve of those bags they're carrying doesn't seem like it'd build a very long ditch.

[shadowcat]

What the F do they know!

They think it is a spice mix for couscous