An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Civil engineers work hard to reconstruct Zabul Province

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Angelique N. Smythe
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  The Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul Civil Engineer team works hard to develop and improve the country of Afghanistan.

The team primarily funds projects through the Commander's Emergency Response Program to fulfill emergency needs of the people of the Zabul province.

"It allows us to improve the presence of the government and the security of the province," said Captain Gregory Orbino, PRT Zabul Senior Civil Engineer.

The Civil Engineer team, consisting of Captain Orbino from Scott Air Force Base, Ill., Capt. Rick Vermillion from Shaw Air Force Base, N.C., and Tech. Sgt. Erik Field from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, have combined their efforts to oversee 40 projects valued at more than $12 million. Part of this resumé includes six school projects, costing approximately $650,000, and five hospital projects, totaling one million dollars that improves the healthcare capacity within the province.

A large focus for the PRT is road construction. Knowing that they can't do it all on their own, they sometimes partner with the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. For example, when a new Qalat City bazaar street was paved by MRRD, the PRT came in behind and placed speed bumps on the road to slow down speeding drivers for the safety of the people.

In their time, the engineers installed 600 culvert covers at a cost of one million dollars along Highway One, a highway that is considered one of Afghanistan's main traffic arteries. Culvert covers prevent insurgents from placing improvised explosive devices underneath the road. The civil engineers have also responded on 12 post-blast IED crater reconnaissance missions to facilitate rapid roadway repair.

"(Road construction) allows the government to reach out to the people of Afghanistan and allows the people of Afghanistan to reach out to the government," said Captain Orbino. "In order to do that, we have to protect the road from IEDs, clean up the roads after IEDs, or protect the roads from people wanting to place IEDs."

The Civil Engineer team has also partnered with other organizations to repair several bridges that were destroyed by insurgents along Highway One, the main highway in the province.

"We work with U.S. AID, another agency, to provide expertise and oversight to about $7 million worth of bridge repair for the province," Captain Orbino said. "That opens up the ability for people to travel up and down Highway One, opening up lines of commerce for people and to get to and from the government."

The Arghendab Causeway, a $740,000 endeavor, was the most recent bridge completed Dec. 26, 2009, in the Arghendab District. After three years of various obstacles, contractors were able to complete the bridge, which connects the northern Arghendab River Valley and nearly a quarter of the people of Zabul Province to markets such as the ones in Qalat. It allows people to transport food and supplies during winter months, which would otherwise be cut off due to high water levels blocking the road. Previously, the locals were limited to stockpiling for the winter in hopes to last the cold and wet season.

Captain Orbino, who is now serving on his fourth deployment, said that during a deployment, he finds the pace of work is much greater, but the impact of each task can be seen much faster than back home in the Civil Engineer community. For example, while a Civil Engineer Squadron may plan a one million dollar military construction project at home station, the chances of seeing the results of the project is very low. They may not even see the end of the project, even while stationed at the installation for up to four years. However, in Afghanistan, after putting the plans and paperwork together for a one million dollar project, Captain Orbino said he will likely see the construction and oftentimes the finished product within his nine month tour with the PRT.

"I feel that in my time out here in Afghanistan, I have seen a lot of improvements, a lot of small steps in the right direction," he said. "When you go up and down Highway One, you can see the culvert covers on the highway which has drastically reduced the number of IED placements in that area. I can visibly see a number of improvements and how it affects the people in Zabul.

"Ideally, our job is to work our way out of a job so we don't have to come back here," Captain Orbino said. "In order to do that, we need to train the Afghans to understand that they have a vote or a say in how their government acts and treats them."