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Maj. Alberto Mezarina
| Air Force Engineer Helps Iraqis Rebuild |
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By Suzanne M. Fournier |
| BASE CAMP ADDER, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2005 — Deploying to Iraq with an Army unit offered a unique opportunity for an Air Force officer to be blue in a green Army world. United States Air Force Academy instructor Maj. Alberto Mezarina said he volunteered because he wanted to do his part to fight the global war on terrorism. “Even though I wear the Air Force uniform, I’m part of the Department of Defense and as operation tempo increases and our forces grow smaller, we find ourselves able to fill needs across the Department of Defense,” Mezarina said. “I’m an Air Force civil engineer working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I work with Department of Army civilian colleagues; a Navy chief petty officer schedules my trips, and we’re all stationed at an Army installation in Iraq, guarded by Air Force security forces.” The team goes beyond joint purple operations, blending colorful Coalition force flags of the Italian Joint Task Force with British, Australian, Romanian and Japanese military forces. The major says he hit the ground running in July and has been running ever since. Initially, Mezarina was resident engineer in charge of construction in the Thi-Qar Province near Nasiriyah. Three weeks later, he was named area engineer for Thi-Qar and Methane provinces with more than $464 million in Iraq Redevelopment and Construction projects and responsibilities to coordinate with the new Iraqi government officials and multinational forces. “Working in Iraq presented multiple challenges, but as an Academy teacher, communication comes naturally,” he said. “I’ve seen walls of inhibition come down by bringing the right people together and by simply facilitating communication. Set a few facts and techniques in front of someone, begin dialogue and you can inspire change and build consensus.” Mezarina said he used his communication talents to set standards and define relationships with Iraqi contractors and customers; to enhance understanding of statements of work and set limits to endless modifications. “We’ve made progress and now the time is ripe to raise our expectations,” he added. “We can no longer be satisfied with simply swapping swords for plowshares. We’ve paved the way by sharing safety and quality standards in construction. I’ve witnessed the changes and am confident the local professionals can live up to any expectation. Today, we see Iraqis conducting on-site training and adhering to safety.” |
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Getting clear statements of work with better specifications and drawings in addition to limiting modifications were among many challenges the engineer said he faced. “By the time you add up all the modifications on some of these projects, you could have funded an additional project,” he said. “Construction scopes of work were especially vague in early contracts, so we made adjustments. After a while, I’d only allow 15 percent in modifications of the total contract price.” He said one of the most fulfilling aspects of his job was sharing western work practices with the local national civil engineers and learning different ways to accomplish the same results. The Air Force engineer had approximately two dozen Iraqi employees working numerous job sites every day. They conduct quality assurance and assessment, sometimes at the risk of their lives, as insurgents intimidate and threaten them and their families. “These men and women have courage, character and commitment to the future of Iraq,” said Mezarina. “They are well-educated, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, but have never had the chance to reach their full potential under the former repressive regime. Americans have acquisition laws, and regulations to follow and this is American money so we follow American laws. It took a little explaining, but we were able to demonstrate these laws were there to protect customer and contractor alike.” |
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