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Airmen, PRT combine efforts to improve Iraqi living conditions

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eric Schloeffel
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq --  Airmen teamed with members of Kirkuk's Provincial Reconstruction Team during a training session April 16 designed to help local Iraqis improve waste management practices in the region.

The 506th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management Flight trained 11 Iraqis on proper maintenance techniques for newly acquired equipment the Municipality of Kirkuk will use for waste management.

"We are ensuring the equipment that was purchased for the local Iraqis will be preserved by teaching them preventative maintenance," said Master Sgt. Robert Stewart, 506th ELRS vehicle management flight chief, deployed from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ala. "Our flight is ensuring they are learning all the pre-operational checks - including fluid and equipment checks - which will enable these vehicles to provide services for years to come."

The vehicles the Iraqis were trained to maintain included several waste compactor transfer units, water trucks, and front-end and mid-sized wheeled loaders.

In past years, the city's municipality department struggled to overcome outdated waste management techniques and failed to maintain a functioning waste collection system.

The PRT, with funds from the U.S. Army, acquired these new vehicles and overhauled the city's waste management system.

Concerns with previous practices include several health, safety and security issues for not only citizens who reside in Kirkuk, but also Coalition Forces working in the area, said Brian McCarthy, PRT solid waste management adviser.

"One of the main concerns that ties Coalition Forces with waste management is the fact that waste lying beside the road is a common place for insurgents to plant improvised explosive devices," Mr. McCarthy said. "We can take away these hiding places if certain areas in the cities are cleaned up. Another major piece to this is instilling pride in the place where these Iraqis live, so they will in-turn take better care of their areas and be more amiable in their surroundings."

Mr. McCarthy also mentioned how the health of citizens and overall environment would benefit throughout the Kirkuk region once proper waste management practices are instilled.

Plans include the creation of transfer centers used to temporarily place waste en-route to a new and environmentally-improved landfill site to serve the more than 700,000 Kirkuk residents. One transfer station has already been constructed and will be ready for operation upon the delivery of these new vehicles.

"The vehicles involved in the training will enable more effective waste collection and transportation to the recently constructed, coalition-funded sanitary landfill outside the city," said Mr. McCarthy.

The Air Force's support is vital to the success of this PRT initiative which will create a better standard of living for Iraqis in Kirkuk, said Mr. McCarthy.

"The Air Force has been very accommodating in their help to the PRT, and we couldn't complete this without them," he said. "No local garage in Kirkuk has the tools, equipment and expertise of this unit. The Airmen here have plenty invaluable experience and understanding of vehicle maintenance which really benefits the Iraqis. They also have the training qualifications which allow the Iraqis to get the most from this experience."

As the training event came to a close, the event was deemed a success as the instructors felt the Iraqis were receptive to each lesson throughout the day, said Staff Sgt. Shawn Reed, 506th ELRS mechanic and training instructor, deployed from F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo.

"The training went surprisingly smoothly, and they seemed to take a good grasp on the material," he said. "They showed up with a good knowledge base already, but we helped further that base by working with our equipment. Hopefully they can take what they learned and bring it back to their work environment to help rebuild and better their own communities."

The Iraqis agreed the training was beneficial and anxiously await the near future when they can begin operating these vehicles proficiently to help improve their life in their hometown.

"Without the Americans, we wouldn't know how to operate this new equipment because this is all new technology for us," said an Iraqi trainee. "They clarified a lot of our questions which will help us accomplish our jobs more efficiently. We have old machines which break down fairly often, and we don't have any spare parts to fix them.

"This new technology will be a big help to us, and we are very proud to have it - this is historic for us," he added. "We thank the Americans for all their help to equip and train us."

More in-depth training sessions with the Vehicle Management Flight are scheduled for the future to provide the Iraqis with the skills to fix the machinery in the event of a maintenance issue.

The Airmen working alongside the Iraqis expressed their satisfaction to help rebuild and establish a better Iraq.

"This is an opportunity for an entire flight of Airmen to get involved and make a real impact to the local community," said Sergeant Stewart. "It is a very rewarding experience to know we are making history with these training events, as we are helping with the big picture at the local level."