Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team Inspects Ongoing Projects Published Sept. 13, 2009 By Pfc. Elizabeth Raney Combined Joint Task Force - 82 NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Nangarhar provincial reconstruction team service members, based at Forward Operating Base Finley-Shields, conducted an inspection of ongoing construction projects in the city of Jalalabad, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, recently. "Our mission is to make sure they're using good materials, check on their workmanship and correct them if they're doing anything wrong," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shawn Newland, of Miliani, Hawaii, a structural specialist with the PRT. The day's mission included inspections of a women's park, a school, a provincial court, and a major expansion to the local hospital's pediatric center, which will add a 100-bed wing to the facility, a few of the more than 50 projects currently under way in the province. According to the PRT members, checking on the projects during their construction is a vital part of their success. "We come back to check on them again and again just to make sure that the quality of work is up to standard," Sgt. Matthew Ducharme, of Chicago, Ill., a team leader for fourth squad, PRT security forces, said. But construction is only one part of the PRT's overall mission. By providing these facilities, the PRT members hope to establish better relationships with the Afghan people. "These efforts accomplish military objectives by disconnecting the population from the aims of the insurgency, while proving the government's commitment to its people and connecting them to the government's efforts towards security and prosperity," U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Abreo, of Austin, Texas, said. Sgt. Edwin Donahue, the leader of first squad, and a native of Randolph, Mass., believes that the projects are serving their purpose. "We're seeing a lot of positive reactions from the populace," Donahue said. "Overall, they're happy, which is the ultimate goal."