Afghans help maintain airfield

Published July 29, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Emily F. Alley
451st AEW Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Many Afghans support coalition forces at Kandahar Airfield. Afghans who do not work for their military can work as contractors, often hired and vetted by a private company, doing construction or maintenance jobs in the airfield.

"They're out to do a job and support a family," said Master Sgt. Michael E. Dunblazier, 451 Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron force protection flight chief, as his team supervised a group of contracted Afghans who were painting yellow lines on the aircraft taxiways near the runway of Kandahar Airfield July 28.

Civil engineer security augmentees supervise projects at Kandahar AF to make sure military assets are safe. A contract will stipulate when workers must be supervised. Often it depends on the nature of the work or location.

Dunblazier's team has never had an issue with a contractor, he said, but they are trained on what to watch for.

The augmentees are trained as security escorts. They watch to make sure contractors do not approach or photograph certain aircraft and to make sure they only have approved tools.

"We're the first line of defense," said Senior Airman Kenneth Henderson, an augmentee. "Who knows what kind of pictures they would take, or what they would do if we weren't here?"

One of Henderson's favorite parts of the job was working off of the flightline and watching aircraft fly in and out. His job helps keep the aircraft safe.

He volunteered for a security augmentee position to experience deployment outside of his career field. His primary job is radiology, deployed from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. While he knows his medical job is important, he liked the idea of variety, working with people in other careers, and seeing an immediate impact of his work in a war zone, Henderson said.

Dunblazier supervises Airmen from eight different careers within the Air Force. They are assisted by contractors of other nationalities, who often act as a translator.
Joel Lazatin, from the Philippines, spent four years as a contractor in Iraq before coming to work in Afghanistan, where he often interprets for workers. He speaks Arabic, Hindi and English among other languages, he said.

Lazatin spent the afternoon of July 28 helping a team of Afghans to paint the strip of yellow paint in an aircraft parking area at Kandahar AF.

To the Afghans doing the job, they get the immediate benefit of a paycheck. However, they may also see the benefit of the security that the airfield brings their country.