March/April 2011 Contractor awards Corps of Engineers recognizes top construction firms. Lisner’s mission N.D. Air Force man serves Army leadership role in . Commander's blog Magness touts role of civilian engineers to bloggers. Intern graduation U.S. Army Corps of Engineers trains and mentors Afghan soldiers. Playing cards Corps of Engineers, Embassy team up to explain the deal with Afghan artifacts.

Kabul University books Corps of Engineers provides war-torn university with engineering books. C h Tajikistan in Uz a bekis tan District Commander Col. Thomas Magness

AED-North District Command Sergeant Major hshan dak Chief Master Sgt. Forest Lisner Ba Chief of Public Affairs ar J. D. Hardesty uz kh Kund Ta K Layout & Design ash Joseph A. Marek m jan Balkh wz ir Staff Writer Ja Paul Giblin lan Staff Writer gh LaDonna Davis n Ba n ta angan r ta is am e ris n S jsh u e Pan N ar m ul un The Freedom Builder is the field magazine of the Far P K k yab ri n Kapisa n Afghanistan Engineer District, U.S. Army Corps of r a wa L a S ar aghm Engineers; and is an unofficial publication authorized u Bamyan P by AR 360-1. It is produced monthly for electronic ul ories - r distribution by the Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army T ab St rha K ga Corps of Engineers, Afghanistan Engineer District. It is an produced in the Afghanistan theater of operations. N Views and opinions expressed in The Freedom ardak r Builder are not necessarily those of the Department of n W a dghis g the Army or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ba a o Articles or photographic submissions are welcome t L a s y alerno and should arrive in PAO by the 15th of each month t 2 - S or i k Page 2 preceding publication. They can be mailed to the below h Pa st address or they can be e-mailed. If electronically G n Kho submitted, all stories should be in Word document a kun ni format and all photographs should be high resolution Day di az and include photo caption information. at h h er G All photographs appearing herein are by the H g Afghanistan Engineer District Public Affairs Office f Volume 9, Issue 4 March/April 2011 www.aed.usace.army.mil unless otherwise accredited. The mission of The Freedom Builder is to support Paktika the Commander’s Internal Communication Program A for the Afghanistan Engineer District. It also serves n FEATURES from the NORTH Uruzga as the Commander’s primary communication tool for ul accurately transmitting policies, operations, technical Zab developments, and command philosophy to the 4- books Afghanistan Engineer District. The Corps of Engineers provides war-torn Kabul Submissions can be e-mailed to: University with engineering books. [email protected] har 7- Playing cards Submissions can be mailed to: da Farah an The Corps of Engineers and the Embassy team up to Public Affairs Office K USACE-AED explain the deal with Afghan artifacts. ATTN: Qalaa House APO AE 09356 10- Lisner’s mission COM: 540-678-2984, DSN: 312-265-2984 North Dakota Air Force man serves in an Army imroz leadership role in Afghanistan. The Freedom Builder Magazine is available online at N elman www.aed.usace.army.mil H 13- Contractor awards Cover Image: n Corps of Engineers recognizes top construction firms. a 18- U.S. Army Corps of Ir All that’s fit to blog Col. Thomas H Magness touts role of civilian Engineer employees engineers to bloggers. help load more than 400 boxes of engineering 20- dia books bought by the Intern graduation In USACE District- North. kistan Corps of Engineers trains and mentors Afghan soldiers. Lots and lots of books! Pa 22- (Full story on pg. 4) Parting shot

Photo by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers things to provide a good education, like books and an adequate laboratory. What we found was horrifying,” he said. He blamed the downfall of Afghanistan’s engineering education on what he calls “brain drain.” “The country has gone through a sad transformation in the last 30 years where education just wasn’t a priority. It has been suffering from brain drain for so long,” he said. Assistant professor Farid Momand agreed. Like Kanishka, he had seen the educational opportunities in both Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Engineer District-North’s Capacity . Development chief, Maj. Erica Iverson unloads Momand received his undergraduate boxes of new engineering books with the help of Afghan students at Kabul University. degree in civil engineering from Kabul University in 2004, and then earned a had one goal in mind – restore the master’s degree from Ohio University. department’s educational foundation, one In 2010, Momand came back to Kabul to book at a time. “Books are the very first teach at his alma mater. Coming home instruments of teaching and learning,” he only highlighted the harsh realities and said. differences in the quality of education As part of the Corps of Engineers’ capacity students receive in the United States and building program, U.S. personnel help Kabul University. develop Afghan workers’ knowledge and Book ’em skills in engineering and construction. The “In the States, the universities are The Corps of Engineers provides war-torn Kabul University with engineering books very well equipped and high tech,” he intent to ensure that Afghan professionals Story by | LaDonna Davis Photos by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. “Students have access to unlimited can continue to develop their own country Zalmai Zaheb, the dean of the engineering department at Kabul University displays one of more than 75 resources, labs and books for their programs; long after Corps of Engineers personnel engineering book titles that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan District North purchased for the in Afghanistan resources are very limited. have left. engineering college that has suffered because of lack of funds, years of war and rule. We don’t have good laboratories or access to “If you are going to learn, you have to ABUL – U.S. Army Corps of “Practically anyone under the age of 45 can quality materials.” have the adequate resources, and textbooks KEngineers employee Mustafa be called a child of war,” said Kanishka, a The downfall of Kabul University’s are the first step,” said Zalmai Zaheb, the Kanishka attended Kabul University at a naturalized U.S. citizen. “And the education engineering college can be traced to the 1970s dean of the engineering department at the time when peace reigned in Afghanistan, opportunities in this country have suffered when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The university. when the university’s school of engineering because of it.” Soviet government changed the language In order to provide books, the Corps of was ranked one of the highest in the region, Kanishka works as a project manager for of the college from English, the widely Engineers had to develop a list of adequate and when going to school the Corps of Engineers. He’s accepted language of engineering, to Dari books, manuals and teacher guides that the to get a higher education assigned to the capacity and Pashtu, the official languages of the school faculty members could agree upon. was an expectation, not a development department Afghan people. The second step was securing funding. privilege. Books are the very first within Afghanistan The college’s problems continued through Because the engineering department had That was in the early instruments of teaching Engineer District-North, the 1980s when the school was closed and been using outdated materials for so long, 1970s. which is based in Kabul. all the professors were dispersed to other when it came time for the faculty members Currently, university and learning. He occasionally speaks as colleges within Kabul University. to prepare a list of books, all they could officials struggle to a guest lecturer at Kabul In the 1990s, the engineering college opened come up with was dated material. maintain the campus’ war- University, and during one its doors again with limited resources, but “Our students were using photo copies of torn buildings and instructors teach outdated of his lectures, he realized that something was overtaken by Taliban insurgents who dated books, because there weren’t enough material from outdated books. What was needed to be done to help the faculty and banned women from studying, looted the books to go around,” said Zaheb. once a renowned school for engineering, students of the school. college, and destroyed and burned all of the Corps of Engineers personnel requested fails to provide the fundamentals of a good Kanishka enlisted the Corps of Engineers school’s books. lists of current engineering books from education – something Kanishka wanted to to do an evaluation of the school’s conditions Upon seeing the degradation of Kabul U.S. universities. Once the faculty at Kabul change. and curriculum. “They didn’t have basic University’s engineering college, Kanishka University agreed upon the list, it was time

4 5 to determine a vendor to supply the books. was not sure this would happen, but now I Initially, Corps of Engineers personal see. Right now, these books are like water couldn’t find a supplier who could provide for a man in the desert. It is not enough to books at an acceptable cost or arrange for say thank you very much. It is very difficult shipping. The team finally found BookPal, to share my feelings.” A big deal a vendor that could do the job. Providing books for students and faculty The team secured funding through at Kabul University wasn’t enough for the Commander’s Emergency Response Corps of Engineers personnel. In coming Program, an initiative that gives Army months, they also will upgrade the commanders the authority to use money at engineering school’s electricity and heating their discretion to fund humanitarian relief and air conditioning systems and provide and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. new laboratories. The only problem was that according term Furthermore, the Corps of Engineers has of the program, the district commander, extended the book program to reach all the Col. Thomas Magness, had a spending cap universities with engineering colleges in of $750,000. The books cost $851,000. Afghanistan. That’s 10 universities total. In order to get the funding for the books, “We want all the universities to flourish, Magness had to send a special request to U.S. because that is the main element in Forces Afghanistan, a higher headquarters stabilizing the country, to stabilizing that oversees reconstruction efforts. Within freedom,” Kanishka said. “The Corps weeks, the agency approved funding and has thousands of projects throughout the book drive was a go. Afghanistan, and we need thousands of On Jan. 28, the first shipment of more engineers to maintain and build them. than 400 boxes, and 3,000 books featuring When these students graduate, they will be more than 75 titles, arrived at the district’s the ones helping us with the transition of compound. Dozens of Corps of Engineers responsibility to the Afghan government.” Corps of Engineers, Embassy team up to explain the deal with Afghan artifacts employees loaded the books onto several For Momand, the new books bring the Story by | Paul Giblin Photos by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers trucks for delivery to the university, engineering department one step closer to where dozens of university staff members, the quality education that he received in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers archeologist Amy Holmes is working with U.S. Embassy officials distribute students and Corps of Engineers employees the United States. “These are all the up- playing cards featuring cultural heritage themes in Afghanistan. Photo by Edreas Qasimi, U.S. Army unloaded them. to-date books you can find in the States,” The labor was worth the effort. he said. “These are all great tools to get us ABUL – The U.S. Army Corps of concerned about preserving artifacts – if “We needed variety,” Momand said. on the right path to a quality engineering KEngineers and the U.S. Embassy they know what’s at stake. “Before we only had a few books in each program.” are distributing playing cards featuring “We can get the troops to relate to it. In this course. Before we had to copy archeological preservation messages to U.S. pack, there’s actually a picture of the Statue books to give to the students. personnel throughout Afghanistan. of Liberty and it says, ‘How would we feel if Now we have enough books to The goal of the program is to raise awareness someone destroyed her torch?’” Holmes said. give the students, so we don’t among U.S. personnel about In fact, the Statue of have to break any copyright cultural heritage issues, and Liberty message is the Jack laws.” to reinforce the message Protecting cultural of Diamonds card. Seeing the boxes of books that historic sites, pottery, property during times of Holmes and Laura stacked up against the wall of artwork and other relics armed conflict is required Tedesco, who serves as the the school’s study room was a should be preserved, rather under the terms of the cultural heritage program sight that nearly brought tears than looted or destroyed, 1954 Hague Convention. manager for the Embassy to the dean’s eyes. said Corps of Engineers in Kabul, are helping “Right now I am so excited, archeologist Amy Holmes. to coordinate efforts to it is hard for me to speak,” History transcends international distribute the cards to U.S. and coalition Zaheb said as the books were borders and it is important to people of all personnel. Holmes and Tedesco became being delivered. “From the first U.S. Army Corps of Engineer employees help load more than 400 boxes of nationalities and cultures, Holmes said. involved in the effort through their roles as meeting with Col. Magness, I engineering books. Most U.S. military service members are members of the U.S. Central Command’s

6 7 Historical/Cultural Action Group. Central mission; show respect.” The front of each More than 13,000 packs have been printed e-mail. “Damage to archaeological sites, Command is the theater-level command unit card has an individual photo and message and a second production run of 10,000 packs historic buildings, cemeteries and other for all U.S. armed forces in the Middle East. aligned with one of four general themes, is planned. tangible cultural heritage during conflict is to The cultural heritage cards are reminiscent according to suit. Distributing the decks throughout the be avoided, subject to rules of engagement.” of the “Most Wanted” decks distributed The Diamonds focus on saving artifacts. country will be a large task, Holmes said. Preservation also has strategic value, said to troops in 2003 that depicted photos and For example, the 2 depicts both sides of “We have to get a bunch of pallets shipped Laurie Rush, the cultural resources manager identifying information of former Iraqi an antique coin with the message: “Coins up here and figure out where we’re going to at Fort Drum, N.Y., who also helped develop president Saddam Hussein and leaders of are common archaeological artifacts in store them and how we’re going to distribute the program. his now deposed government. The cultural Afghanistan. As with other artifacts, do not them,” she said. “Every time that a Soldier fails to identify awareness program is modeled after similar buy them!” The program is budgeted for as much as and inadvertently damages a sacred place programs in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007 The Clubs focus on raising awareness $125,000 annually with funding provided or a valued piece of cultural property in a and in Egypt in 2009. about the importance of cultural through grants issued by the Department foreign environment, he or she runs the risk Afghanistan is home to artifacts from heritage. The 7 shows of Defense Resource Management Program of infuriating host nation personnel. This a variety of cultures because of a soldier walking and the Air Force Air Combat Command. anger can easily be translated into violent its placement along the famed through Khan At least some of the decks will be given to action,” Rush said in an e-mail. Silk Road, ancient overland Neshin castle, military personnel in training before they In addition, it’s the law. trading routes that linked an ancient stone arrive in Afghanistan. Protecting cultural “Protecting cultural property during times Mediterranean Sea and fortress in southern property in theater benefits troops, said Jim of armed conflict is required under the Pacific Oceans Afghanistan, which Zeidler, the associate director for cultural terms of the 1954 Hague Convention for the through southern dates back to the resources at Colorado State University in Protection of Cultural Property in the Event Europe, Africa, the time of Alexander Fort Collins, Colo., who helped develop the of Armed Conflict,” Zeidler said. Middle East and the Great, along with program. The Afghanistan cultural heritage cards are Asia. the message: “This “It demonstrates respect for the host accompanied by a Web site with additional The 4,000- site has survived for 23 nation’s cultural heritage,” he said in an information on the topic. mile network centuries. Will it and of routes was others survive you?” The site: http://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/afgh01.html used by explorers, The Hearts highlight conquerors and efforts to win the hearts traders including and minds of Afghans. The Xuanzang, Alexander 7 shows a modest gravesite the Great and Marco Polo, and with the dictate: “Afghan among others, from around cemeteries may not be well 200 B.C. through around A.D. marked. Identify and respect.” 1700. Their interactions led to And the Spades caution against economic, religious and artistic digging and site destruction. For example, exchanges between cultures from the 5 features stripped landscape at Ai all points on the compass. As noted on Khanum in northern Afghanistan, with the the 8 of Hearts, Afghanistan became known proclamation: “A looted archaeological site as the “Crossroad of Empires.” means that details of our common past are People of each culture left tell-tale signs lost forever.” of their presence. Troves of artifacts remain The background images of the standard within easy access to travelers across the 52 cards and the two Jokers also comprise country. Afghanistan’s dry climate has a puzzle, which shows an intricate first preserved sites that are thousands of years century gold and turquoise clasp from the old. village of Tillya Tepe in the northern region The back of each card shows a third century of the country. B.C. ceremonial plaque from Ai Khanum The cards are made by the U.S. Playing in northern Afghanistan with the slogans Card Co., of Erlanger, Ky., the makers of “Respect Afghan heritage” and “Support the Bicycle and Bee brand cards, among others.

8 9 or lunch with them, you see they’re no different and stacking tasks when everything is urgent, than you. They’re military people. They have a everything is an emergency,” Lisner said. “You common goal,” Lisner said. “They’re basically the know what I mean by that – everything needs same, but wear different uniforms.” to be done now, but which one needs to be done Army Col. Thomas Magness, the more now?” district commander, noted that all the Among his other priorities were military positions within the district ensuring the safety for military and are opened to be filled by members civilian personnel alike, and serving as of any service. In fact, Lisner is just a mediator for matters involving policies one of several Airmen in leadership and procedures. positions. “A lot of these kids who are joining the “The fact is that the Air Force truly military now are pretty smart kids,” has stepped up when it’s come time to he said. “They tend to think that Chief Lisner source this joint command,” Magness they have a say in everything. boldly goes where no Airman has gone before said. “You look at every corner of Sometimes we have to listen to this organization where we’ve got that, yet we still have to articulate military people; the Air Force is the fact that they still have a boss highly represented.” and they still have a set of orders Magness looked to Lisner to to follow. That’s where I come in.” serve as the standard bearer He had to be most adaptive for all the enlistees, regardless when familiarizing himself of their individual services. with the different services’ “He is the senior enlisted official paperwork procedures, man in this organization and particularly when writing he will be the one to uphold the performance evaluations, which standards, to maintain discipline, the military calls fitness reports or Story by | Paul Giblin Photo by | Joe Marek to lead by example for the rest of fitreps. the enlisted ranks in this command,” “The Navy has a fitrep. The Marine Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Forest Lisner, of Minot, North Dakota, is finishing a six-month with the Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan. Magness said. Corps has a different kind of fitrep. The colonel said Lisner’s position The Army is different. The Air Force is ABUL – Air Force Chief Master Sgt. District-South, which is based in . allowed him to serve as the point of different. So you just have to open up KForest Lisner, of Minot, N.D, piloted a new Lisner’s top responsiblity was ensuring the contact for enlisted personnel and books,” he said. “Sometimes you have to course within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers security and well-being for a large and diverse even civilians who have issues or ask questions. You can’t expect to know it in northern Afghanistan during the past several group of employees. The Kabul-based district has concerns about a variety of topics. all.” months. approximately 1,410 employees “The chief is someone whose door is Lisner, a Wisconsin native, joined the Air Lisner, 45, served as the first at bases spread across open. He’s willing to listen. Maybe he Force after losing an athletic scholarship Air Force non-commissioned I walked up to my dad northeastern Afghanistan. The can solve their problem at that level,” to Northern Michigan University. During officer to serve in the top spot group includes 125 military Magness said. high school in Minocqua, Wis., he earned a for enlisted military personnel one day and said, ‘I’m personnel from the Army, Not coincidentally, Lisner said slot on the U.S. Junior Olympic wrestling within the Army command. He better than this. I need to Navy, Air Force and Marines; he believes that one of his top team and competed at 98 and 105 pounds. wraps up his six-month tour 505 Department of Defense obligations was working with the However, after signing with the university, with the Corps of Engineers change my lifestyle. civilian employees; 155 civilian deputy commander, Army Lt. Col. he suffered a concussion while barefoot on May 12. contractors; and 625 Afghan Jon Chytka, and the civilian waterskiing. The Corps of Engineers is workers. chief of staff, Jay Burcham, to He still can’t remember anything about the the primary organization that is building army Lisner found that while some of the internal keep matters off Magness’ desk, Photo by | Joe Marek summer of 1983, the year he graduated from bases and police stations for Afghan forces, plus protocols and regulations differ between the allowing the colonel to focus his high school. He was in no shape to report to the roads, airstrips and other infrastructure projects Air Force and the Army, the service members attention on the district’s primary mission of university for classes, so his collegiate wrestling to bolster the country’s security and economy. are strikingly similar. The same holds true for building billions of dollars worth of infrastructure career ended before it started. He worked for a It operates two districts within the country – Marines and Navy personnel who also work projects in Afghanistan. few years, but wanted something more in life. Afghanistan Engineer District-North, which alongside one another within the command. There were many additional responsibilities. “I walked up to my dad one day and said, is based in Kabul; and Afghanistan Engineer “Once you sit down at a table and have dinner “At the end of the day, sometimes it’s racking ‘I’m better than this. I need to change my

10 11 Photo by | Mike Beeman And the winners are... Corps of Engineers recognizes top construction firms

Story by | Paul Giblin Photo by | Joe Marek lifestyle,’” Lisner said. Though no one in his school freshman, and Megan, a 12-year-old family previouslyAfghanistan had servedBuilders in Association the military, president he seventh-grader. Naeem Yassin, left, and Col. Thomas Magness, right, present joined the Airan award Force to because Metag Insaat of the Ticaret job training A.S. business Lisner development said his manager biggest Gorkem regret Marsanis leaving during the the event. opportunities the service offered. post in Afghanistan after just six months. A year – The U.S. Army Corps of Magness, the commander of the Corps of He obtained associatesABUL degrees in heating, might have been better length of time to serve Engineers honored the top construction Engineers’ district in northern Afghanistan. ventilation andK air conditioning at Pikes Peak with the Corps of Engineers, which is the primary Communitycompanies College in Coloradoin northern Springs, Afghanistan Colo., in duringorganization “Everyone building army here bases, is the police A stations,Team. These are 1994; and inthe mechanical inaugural and electrical Contractors technology, Recognition roads, airstrips ones and that other we infrastructurego to, the proven projects performers. and in constructionAwards technologyceremony at theat Communitythe Serena inHotel, the war-torn We go country. to them “Especially, again and seeing again some because they College of theMarch Air Force1. in Montgomery, Ala., in of the projects,can getI’d thelike jobto stickdone.” around and see 2000 and 2001,The respectively. event was presented bythem the close,” heMagness said. and Afghanistan Builders He was promotedAfghanistan to the rank ofBuilders chief master Lisner, who has 24 years of Associationservice in the Air president sergeant, theAssociation highest Air andForce was enlisted attended level with Force,Security is scheduled and safety to return toNaeem Minot AirYassin Force presented exception toby the nearly rank of chief200 masterengineering sergeant of areBase very aspotential chief enlisted massive manager awards for the 5thto Civilmore than and building professionals 30 companies in nine the Air Force, in September 2008. problemsEngineer here.Squadron, But butif his legacy as an Air Lisner anddoing his wife business Amy met in the while northern both served Force leader in an Army commandcategories. will live on you want to have a great in the Air Forceportion in Egypt.of the They’ve country. been Themarried in Afghanistan. His successor willThe becategories another reflected for 14 years.Oscars-style She has since event left theprovided military a and company,Airman –you Chief have Master to go Sgt. Chadthe D.Corps Brandau of ofEngineers’ works as arare teacher’s opportunity assistant forin Northbusiness Dakota. everywhere.Davis-Monthan Air Force Basetwo in Tucson,primary Ariz. missions in They have leaderstwo children, of Joe,the a 14-year-oldcountry’s high Afghanistan: Build high- emerging construction sector to come quality infrastructure projects to house together to network and build professional and support Afghanistan National Army, relationships. Afghanistan National Police and coalition “It was an opportunity to recognize forces; and teach construction, engineering Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Forest Lisner, right, travels by helicopter frequently with Army Col. excellence,” said U.S. Army Col. Thomas and business management skills to Afghan Thomas Magness, left, to inspect construction sites across northeastern Afghanistan. 13 US Army Corps of Engineers workers. a similar path of expansion. The company Corps of Engineers officials identified got its first job with the Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District-North two to nine companies as finalists in each in 2006. It currently has seven. category. The top award, Contractor of the “We started with very small construction Year, was presented to Ishan Qurat and projects and then step by step, we got other 2010 Contractor Recognition Award Ceremony Prime Projects International JV, which best projects. If you do good quality work, you exemplified both quality construction and will go further. If you have a project with capacity development during 2010. poor quality, that will be your final project,” Virtually all of the companies that were Khalid said. The winners: recognized have steadily expanded their Afghan Builders Consortium was a portfolios of work in Afghanistan during the finalist for both the Design/Build Company Contractor of the Year: past several years as Afghan and coalition of the Year and the Contractor of the Year Ishan Qurat and Prime Projects International JV military forces have reduced the economically categories. crippling influence of insurgents throughout Likewise, Jamal Aziz Construction & the country. Engineering Co., of Kabul, was awarded its One of the biggest winners of the night, first job by the Corps of Engineers in 2008. It Best New Contractor of the Year: Metag Insaat Ticaret A.S., is a construction currently has 17 jobs. Helal Khosti Construction Company firm based in Ankara, Turkey, arrived in the Adhering to the construction schedule and country in 2003. The firm initially worked as employing highly qualified managers are the a sub-contractor for other companies. After most important aspects of performing work Afghan Contractor of the Year: two years, it took on the role as a prime for the Corps of Engineers, said company United Contracting Company contractor for construction projects and now president Mahboob Jamal. has more than 30 contracts with the Corps “Before we get the contract, we are of Engineers. thinking about profit, that we should have “Afghanistan is a very hard place to do profit in the contract. But, after we get the Women Owned Business of the Year: business,” said Metag business development work, then we don’t care about profit. We are Eagle AA Construction manager Gorkem Marsan. “Security and just thinking about the project, completing it safety are very potential massive problems soon,” he said. here. But if you want to have a great Jamal Aziz was named as a finalist for Design/Build Company of the Year: company, you have to go everywhere.” Afghan Contractor of the Year. Omran Consulting Construction & Engineering Maintaining worksite safety also is a The concept of presenting professional major consideration for doing business in awards to construction companies was new Afghanistan, he said. Most of the country’s to Afghanistan, and well received by the Military Construction Contractor of the Year: laborers are unskilled and inexperienced, so country’s construction executives, Yassin constant supervision is required to ensure said. The awards are certain to foster a Yuksel Insaat A.S. workers follow safety protocols as they learn greater sense of competition among the construction trades through the Metag’s on- companies, which will benefit Afghanistan’s the-job-training program. “We must teach overall construction sector. Excellence in Construction Award: all of them – all of them – before the job is “They are trying to prepare for next year, done,” Marsan said. all the construction companies. Now they Metag Insaat Ticaret A.S. Metag picked up five awards during the want to compete, to build capacity and to ceremony. The company won the Excellence bring management teams, to compete in in Construction Award and finished as a 2011. It was a very great night,” Yassin said. Safety Performance Award: finalist in the Capacity Development, Safety The president of the Afghanistan Builders Emta Insaat A.D. Performance, Military Construction and Association said he hopes – and expects – Contractor of the Year categories. that Afghan companies will be even more Ahmad Khalid, an executive with Afghan successful against their international Builders Consortium, a Kabul-based professional rivals in next year’s event. Capacity Development Award: construction firm, said his company followed Technologists Inc

14 have not had to bring in military engineers. are recruited to work at construction sites It is the civilian workforce in the United near their homes, but are given job-specific States for the Army Corps that has stepped training before they report to the sites. forward and volunteered for this mission,” “We send them through our Local National Magness said. Quality Assurance Academy, our LNQA “We also round that out with engineers Academy,” Magness told the bloggers. from other agencies and other qualified “In that academy, which runs for a couple engineers that wish to join the Army Corps of weeks, we teach them the sort of things just for this deployment.” that we expect from a Corps of Engineers In response to a question by blogger Tom (employee), forward-deployed eyes and ears, Goering of Navy Cyberspace, the colonel for the project.” discussed the qualifications of the district’s More about the roundtable is available at Afghan workforce. http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/category/ The district employs approximately 600 bloggers-roundtable/. Afghan workers. About 400 hold professional Department of Defense officials said they positions. Of those, roughly 75 percent expect to schedule Magness to speak during have degrees from various universities future bloggers roundtables to discuss in Afghanistan. Most of those employees different aspects of the mission. All that’s fit to blog Ripped from the blogisphere Magness touts role of civilian engineers to bloggers “U.S. cities like San Diego are debating the wisdom of putting solar-powered Story by | Paul Giblin Photo by | Joe Marek street lights along their roads. Heck -- that’s already happening in ... Kabul, Col. Thomas H. Magness speaks to U.S.-based bloggers from his office at the Qalaa House compound in Kabul. Afghanistan? You bet. In fact, Colonel Thomas Magness IV, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan, was raving about them Thursday.” ABUL – Col. Thomas Magness Defense magazine. She asked whether the “Illuminating Kabul,” by Mark Thompson, Time magazine Battleland highlighted the contributions of Corps of Engineers encountered difficulty in — K blog, April 28 civilian engineers to the U.S. Army Corps of attracting highly qualified U.S. civilians to Engineers’ mission in Afghanistan during a serve in Afghanistan. live teleconference with U.S.-based bloggers “We’re hearing some comments in “Col. Magness talked about sustainability in the building of Afghan security on Thursday, April 28. Washington about the lack of specialized infrastructure. Some of the outposts are so remote that they can be reached Magness, the commander of Afghanistan engineering skills, especially from the only by donkey. Operating an electrical generator in these posts would require Engineer District-North, was the featured civilian side,” Erwin said. “And sometimes fuel supplies and he sees that as a near impossibility to sustain. Instead, a speaker on the DOD Live program. The that they bring military engineers who may combination of solar and wind power is being explored along with changes in public discussions with bloggers are part of be engineers in, you know, submarines, building standards.” the U.S. Department of Defense’s initiative but not necessarily know anything about to reach out to online and social media construction or energy.” — "Army Engineers Building a New Afghanistan,” by Charles Simmins, outlets. Magness, who previously served as Yahoo! Contributor Network blog, April 29 Magness fielded questions from U.S.- commander of the Los Angeles and Detroit based bloggers about the qualifications and districts, countered that the district is staffed “Reconstructing Afghanistan involves partnership and close working training of Afghans working for the Corps with “best of the best” civilian engineers the relationships with the Afghan people, Magness said, noting the pace of of Engineers, the use of sustainable fuel Corps of Engineers has to offer. “I really rebuilding is faster and more efficient than ever before. ‘We have transitioned sources and road construction, among other believe we’ve got a varsity team on a varsity- from being in construction, to finishing projects at the rate of one completed topics. level mission,” he said. project per day,’ Magness said.” The colonel discussed the role of civilian “These are professional engineers. They engineers in response to a question by have all the credentials and certifications — “Army Engineers Help to Rebuild Afghainstan,” by Jessica L. Tozer, Sandra Erwin, a blogger for National that are necessary to do the mission, so we Department of Defense Emerging Media blog, April 29

16 17 district’s capacity development program. Upon completion of the program, the two The purpose s to train and teach Afghan Afghan officers will use their newly honed engineers and employees how to build, skills to educated future army engineer maintain and sustain the projects that the officers by going on to become professors of Corps of Engineers is building, so that they engineering at academy. can run the facilities after U.S. personnel "I have to teach the cadets, the future leave the country. engineers that are graduating from NMAA," Corps of Engineers personnel are looking said Amin. "I have to transfer all of this to extend the internship program during knowledge that I have learned here. I feel the summer to allow Afghans to work at better today that I know the way to learn, completed Corps of Engineers sits, learning I know how to deal with problems, and I how to run the facilities and fix and maintain know how to learn from engineers, how to the systems in them. speak, and how to stand." "I can confidently say that today we The National Military Academy of are graduating soldiers from NMAA that Afghanistan is designed similar to the U.S. are capable of solving the problems of Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., Afghanistan as part of the Afghan army," whereas Afghan soldiers choose a field said Afghan Maj. Gen. Mohammad Zazai, of study while training for the military. the superintendant of academy. Amin and Firozuddin mark the ninth and University officials are grateful to Corps 10th students to graduate from the Corps of Engineers personnel for creating the of Engineers internship program and the Intern graduation internship program that training soldiers fourth graduating class since the internship U.S. Army Corps of Engineers trains and mentors Afghan soldiers in practical ways, he said. program started. Story and Photos by | LaDonna Davis National Military Academy of Afghanistan. Mir Firozuddin, left, and Khalid Amin stand tall during their graduation ceremony from a six-month internship with the Corps of Engineers.

ABUL – Afghan soldiers from Corps of Engineers experts in each field. Kthe National Military Academy of "It is our mission to be a positive influence Afghanistan got a different kind of learning and contributor to the prosperity and the experience while working for the U.S. Army future of Afghanistan, and these two fine Corps of Engineers during a six-month long lieutenants represent the bright future engineering internship that culminated that I know is ahead for Afghanistan," said with a graduation ceremony on March 17. Lt. Col. Jon Chytka, the district’s deputy The internship program is intended to commander. build upon the knowledge and training that During the program, the lieutenants the Afghanistan National Army soldiers, worked side by side with professionals who are engineers by trade, receive at in contracting, project management, the academy through hands-on learning engineering, quality assurance, experiences. construction scheduling and construction As part of the internship, Afghan management, so that they could become Lts. Khalid Amin and Mir Firozuddin familiar with Corps of Engineer processes. were mentored by several Afghanistan They accompanied district personnel on Engineer District-North employees and missions to project sites, explained Corps went through several modules, including of Engineers requirements to Afghan construction scheduling, engineering, contractors, and served as interpreters for project management and on-the-job field district employees. experience. Each module is administered The internship program is part of the

18 19 Parting shot

Photo by | Mike Beeman Historic buildings, aqueducts and terraced agricultural fields that date back hundreds, and even thousands of years ago, dot Afghanistan. This fortified structure was spotted from above near Salerno near the Pakistan border.