Soldiers improve living conditions at FOB Kalsu

ARNEWS ^ | Spc. Edgar Reyes

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FOB KALSU, Iraq (Army News Service, July 17, 2006) – Living conditions at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, continue to improve with the work of Soldiers from Company C, 62nd Engineer Battalion and 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

Under construction are a brigade tactical operations center, two battalion headquarters and four additional buildings capable of holding up to 16 companies. The structures will provide workspace for more than 2,500 Soldiers moving to the FOB from Najaf’s Forward Operating Base Duke this fall.

“These new work spaces are cost efficient compared to the tents and old buildings we have now. They’re also energy efficiently and easier to maintain,” said Capt. Gamble Monney, assistant engineer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT.

Each building has foam insulation, air conditioning, electrical systems and pre-wired fire optics that provide access to the tactical network.

Several Soldier billets are under construction to replace tents used by incoming and outgoing units. Each billet can house six to 12 Soldiers and has two rooms separated by a lounge area. More than 130 Soldiers are expected to occupy the billets when construction is finished, said Capt. Derek Enslow, construction officer for Co. C, 62nd Eng. Bn.

A clamshell hangar is also being built near the airfield on Kalsu. It will be used by aviation assets to perform maintenance away from dust and other weather elements that rapidly decrease the lifespan of equipment.

The construction is boosting morale as well as helping the local economy. More than $1.5 million worth of materials have been purchased from Iraqi vendors.

“Fixing the economy is one of the fastest ways to rebuild this country’s infrastructure,” said Enslow. “When you have trade, you open up job opportunities. We are investing in the local economy to help them rebuild their country.”

With more than 4,000 work-hours logged in the last two months, Soldiers continue working around the clock to complete the project on schedule.

“I think we’re doing great,” said Staff Sgt. William McDaniel, project noncommissioned officer-in-charge from Co. C, 62nd Eng. Bn. “We are staying on schedule; we started late, but we caught up, which is an accomplishment when you deal with construction.”

Despite the project’s size, the engineers have gladly taken it on, said Capt Charles Fagerquist, commander, Co. C, 62nd Eng. Bn.

“My company possesses incredible skills, and big missions like this allow their skills to shine,” he said.

(Editor’s note: Spc. Edgar Reyes writes for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office.)

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by Spc. Edgar Reyes

July 17, 2006

Soldiers from Company C, 62nd Engineer Battalion, work with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, to lay cement July 9 during the construction of a building that will accommodate Soldiers moving in from Forward Operating Base Duke, located near Najaf.

 

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