Army

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea (Feb. 23, 2022) – Students at the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys Smith Middle School and Teen Center participated in a Black history art exhibition Feb. 18, 2022.

The art exhibition was a creative way for the students to set their differences aside and learn about Black history.

“Actually, this is our first black history art exhibit,” said Alexandra Harris, interim program director for the Smith Middle School and Teen Center, also known as the youth center. “The youth, they drew a lot of these pictures. We also created a power point with black actors, black athletes, and black inventors to play in the background, so onlookers could read their bios.”

Keaira Richardson, an eleventh grade student at Humphreys High School and the youth center’s Keystone Club president, said the students wanted to do something fun and decided on the art exhibition as a way to pay tribute to the Black change makers in the U.S., both past and present.

“I thought the exhibit was great, not only because of the beautiful art pieces on display, but also because of the diversity in the kids that provided the art work,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Lemon, the USAG Humphreys senior enlisted advisor. “It was the epitome of what observing Black History Month is about, providing the ability for others outside the African American community to learn about and appreciate the contributions African Americans have made towards the betterment of the United States. The more we learn about each other, the more empathy and understanding we gain.”

Madam C.J. Walker, Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass posters hung on the exhibit walls with biographies and affirming words from the iconic Black history figures. Renditions of a black power fist, Black Lives Matter paintings, and other abstract art were displayed across the tabletops.

The exhibition included paintings and drawings created by students from Humphreys Middle School and Humphreys High School.

Jimmy Scoggin, a youth program assistant at the youth center, explained the Keystone Club members – ninth through twelfth grade students – encouraged the middle school students to paint and draw by telling them their work would be part of the art exhibit.

“The middle schoolers were in the art center everyday painting something,” said Scoggin.

Julia and Lilian McCants, ninth grade students at Humphreys High School, highlighted the drawing of a woman’s profile with a beautiful headdress created from the words “Black History Month.” Each letter glistened with black, red, yellow, or green flecks.

“The person who did the art work is Lilian McCants,” gushed her twin Julia, as she explained the inspiration behind the artwork. “We were looking for art pieces to do for Black history, and this one kind of stood out to us both. We thought it would be kind of cool to try and interpret it our own way and make it look cool for other people to view.”

Camp Humphreys students and community members walked through the exhibition, admiring the beautiful displays of black culture, discussing what the artists were trying to convey, and learning a little history in the process.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Paratroopers with the U.S. Army and Royal Thai Army conducted joint airborne operations onto Joint Base Lewis McChord’s Rogers Drop Zone, Feb. 15 and Feb. 18, 2022. The exercise prepares the partnered forces for a joint Strategic Airborne Operation in Thailand later this month.

The U.S. Army Pacific Command hosted 120 Paratroopers from the 31st Infantry Regiment, Thai Special Warfare Command, Thai Infantry Center, and Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy at JBLM from Feb. 11-23. They were joined by 115 Alaska-based Paratroopers from 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

“The overall mission is to share tactics, techniques, and procedures [with the Thai Paratroopers],” said Capt. Preston Wilson, Company B, 3-509th commander. “Basically, how we do business in our own unique environments.”

The joint operation enhances capabilities and improves operational readiness for both U.S. and Thai personnel. Additionally, the operation demonstrates the modernization of the Royal Thai Army’s air delivery operations by using heavy drop platforms for large equipment during the airborne drop.

Prior to the operation, all Paratroopers completed basic airborne refresher training, which included how to properly rig a T-11 parachute, fundamental procedures for operating inside the aircraft, and how to properly exit the aircraft during the airborne operation.

“We validate that all Paratroopers have met the [requirements] to safely and successfully execute the training jumps here at JBLM,” Wilson added. “This will prepare us for the Strategic Airborne Operation [or SAO], which consists of an ‘in-flight rig’ and jump into Thailand.”

The SAO is part of the Hanuman Guardian 2022 exercises between the Thai and U.S. armies. After the SAO, the next phase of Hanuman Guardian 2022 will see an airborne operation exercise at the Infantry Centre in Prachuap Khiri Khan and field training in Lop Buri from Feb. 25 to Mar. 8.

“The Thai soldiers are very disciplined and traditional, said Staff Sgt. Joseph Bragg, an infantryman assigned to Company B sharing his experience with the RTA Paratroopers “They are very respectable in the way that they show professionalism and courtesy,” he said.

Bragg also spoke of his new favorite word in the Thai language, as learned from the RTA Paratroopers. “‘Pi,’ which means ‘go,’” he said. “It is the last command given [by a Jumpmaster] before exiting an aircraft.”

Name: Richard Alabeh

Job title: General Supply Specialist

Assigned: Logistics Readiness Center Stuttgart, 405th Army Field Support Brigade

Location: Panzer Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany

Experience: I started working at LRC Stuttgart about four years ago. I worked at the Property Book Office for the first two and a half years, and then I accepted a promotion and assumed my current position as a LRC Stuttgart general supply specialist. Before working here, I was working as a cashier for about a year at the Exchange on Patch Barracks in Stuttgart. Before that, I was studying at a University in Stuttgart where I received a master’s degree in Natural Resource Management.

Hometown: Buea, Cameroon

Family: I’ve been married to my wife, Antoinette, for 11.5 years. We have a daughter, Empress-Liv, who will turn 3 in September.

Q: Can you explain what you do as a general supply specialist at LRC Stuttgart?

A: I am the $25,000 Government Purchase Card holder for LRC Stuttgart. With the GPC, I receive acquisition requests from the various directorates and sections, such as the Transportation Motor Pool, Central Issue Facility, Drivers Testing and Training Station and more. I receive their requests and then talk to the vendors to compete the transactions. When I receive the supplies or equipment ordered, I reach out to the requesters and arrange for pickup or delivery. I also operate an online accounting and supply system tool that we are required by policy to use. For example, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we were required to order medical masks using only this system. We could not purchase the masks on the economy with a GPC. When I started working at this position, I implemented the operation of this online accounting and supply system at LRC Benelux. It had never been used here before, and since then I’ve trained other supply specialists on how to use the system, as well.

Q: Why is your position at LRC Stuttgart so important?

A: My position is important because the ordering of equipment, office supplies and work orders all goes through me. Without me, the system of accounting would not be successful. Every organization should have a system of checks and balances. I’m part of that system for LRC Stuttgart. When something needs to be ordered, the billing official will provide a signature of authorization, but the procurement process is completely managed by me. This helps to establish accountability. We are obligated to properly account for all government funding and government property, and I assist with this process. When one of the directorates or sections at LRC Stuttgart needs supplies or equipment, it’s up to me. They don’t know where I’m getting it from. All they want to see is the supplies and equipment they need in order to complete all their various tasks and missions. And I make that happen.

Q: What do you enjoy about your job, and what motivates you?

A: Working in logistics is exactly where I want to be. I really enjoy it. There is no organization or business today that operates efficiently without good logistics. Working for the U.S. government, you have many opportunities to grow – not just to grow but to gain more knowledge and exploit new opportunities. When your supervisors and leaders see that you doing all the right things, they will let you know. And they will also correct you when you are not. That’s where you also grow and gain knowledge. The sky is the limit, but it’s up to you. If you have the knowledge and the will, no one can ever take that away from you.

LRC-Stuttgart and 405th AFSB: LRC Stuttgart is one of seven LRCs under the command and control of the 405th AFSB. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Stuttgart directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. LRC Stuttgart reports to the 405th AFSB, which is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (WWTI) — The sky is not the limit when it comes to promoting inclusion and diversity in the U.S. Army, it is merely the start.

Fort Drum 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Warrant Officer Kevin Batson has spent his entire military career setting limitless goals for himself. Which included the vigorous challenge of becoming an Army pilot.

However, WOI Baston’s career first started in the New York National Guard. But after three years serving, he enlisted to become an infantryman with the U.S. Army. He then spent 12 years as an active-duty infantryman.

After serving in this role for over a decade, he decided he was ready for a new challenge.

WO1 Kevin Baston went on to pursue aviation in the military, which involved competitive tests and intense training. Batson was also required to attend flight school.

After completing flight school, Batson arrived in the North Country at Fort Drum in the fall of 2021. From there, he began his role as an Aviation Warrant Officer and started flying A64 Apache Helicopters.

In his role every day, he is responsible for soldiers and is assigned official duties. However, he discussed how in his leadership role he helps to promote inclusion and diversity.

“We mostly try to tell everyone, you know, everyone has the same opportunities,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what your skin color is. It’s all up to you what goals you set for yourself and how hard you are willing to go for those.”

He also said he often shares his experience of becoming a pilot with other soldiers to encourage them to follow their dreams and reach any goals they may have.

“I try to talk to soldiers as much as I can, especially coming from the background that I have,” Batson expressed. “A lot of infantrymen don’t really think that they have the opportunities. And I try to be that person that shows them that ‘you have the opportunities it’s all up to you.’”

And with this advice, Batson said he is continuously setting new goals for himself as he continues his career, taking to the skies with the U.S. Army.

“When I was a younger soldier, I had a Platoon Sergeant that told me he pulled me to the side and he asked me: ‘What are you doing that is separating you from your peers?’ And that’s stuck with me from that moment on,” Batson shared.

“I set a goal for myself every single year. I wanted to achieve something. It’s helped me along my career progression promotions, and it’s definitely helped me to become what I am today.”

PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2022) – As the chief of Workforce Development for U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey, Stephanie Schafer continuously asks herself how she can help employees feel more invested, happy and engaged in their jobs.

“Engaged employees are not only motivated by money,” Schafer said. “Do I have job satisfaction? Am I given opportunities to do something that’s interesting and meaningful? Do I feel appreciated? Do I feel happy and safe here? All of those things are factors in employee engagement and retention.”

While Schafer reaches out to the workforce through emails, trainings and employee recognition programs, she encourages employees to reach out to her as well. Workforce Development offers a variety of programs and resources designed to help civilian employees progress in their careers and, ultimately, increase Soldier readiness.

For employees to ask informed questions, however, it is necessary for them to know what the garrison’s Workforce Development program offers.

Schafer, a retired sergeant first class with more than eight years of experience as an Army civilian, oversees a variety of U.S. Army Installation Management Command services and programs that include the Service Culture Campaign, the onboarding program, leader and workforce engagement services, training and employee recognition programs.

She also directs the employee professional development training program, which includes Operational Excellence, or “OPEX,” customer service training and monthly professional development trainings. Other than a monthly report she sends to IMCOM, however, Schafer is not involved with annual Department of Defense and Army training requirements.

Not only can Schafer help supervisors put together training to address particular issues, she can assist individuals set themselves up for future career success through professional development.

This month alone, Schafer has sent information via email about Massive Open Online Courses, often called “MOOCs,” the new Army Housing Management Certificate, and the “Interactive Leader Development Guide,” among other training opportunities.

Schafer also hosted a training session on goal setting and time management Feb. 24, as well as an OPEX training session on problem solving.

In addition, Schafer can help with Individual Development Plans and the upcoming annual Defense Performance Management and Appraisal Program requirements.

“Step by step, call me,” Schafer said. “We’ll do it on Teams together.”

All employees are unique, Schafer said, and with the widely disparate career fields within the garrison workforce, her approach to helping people is flexible and adaptable.

“I’m not telling you what you need,” Schafer said. “You know what things are interesting to you, and maybe you don’t know what the end point is right now, but what’s the next right thing for you? What’s the next thing that you can do that’s going to make you happy in the moment and maybe set you up for success?”

Within the next month, garrison employees will receive a training needs assessment survey via email to assess how the garrison can increase the effectiveness of directorates and employees, Schafer said, and she encourages employees to respond.

Schafer also encourages employees to visit the Army Substance Abuse Program Office, often called “ASAP,” and the Employee Assistance Program, which offers help for more personal matters. The programs, which also fall under the Directorate of Human Resources, offer much more than help with drug and alcohol issues.

Civilian employees are critical to the success of the Army’s mission, Schafer said, and their success as individuals is important.

“The more competent we are, the more engaged we are, the more invested we are,” she said, “the more effective and efficient and cost effective the military can be in accomplishing its mission.”

Reach Schafer at [email protected] or (831) 242-5474. Contact ASAP at (831) 242-6960. Learn more about PoM Workforce Development and available career resources at https://home.army.mil/monterey/index.php/about/garrison-directorates/human-resources/workforce-development.

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (WWTI) — The sky is not the limit when it comes to promoting inclusion and diversity in the U.S. Army, it is merely the start.

Fort Drum 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Warrant Officer Kevin Batson has spent his entire military career setting limitless goals for himself. Which included the vigorous challenge of becoming an Army pilot.

However, CW1 Baston’s career first started in the New York National Guard. But after three years serving, he enlisted to become an infantryman with the U.S. Army. He then spent 12 years as an active-duty infantryman.

After serving in this role for over a decade, he decided he was ready for a new challenge.

CW1 Kevin Baston went on to pursue aviation in the military, which involved competitive tests and intense training. Batson was also required to attend flight school.

After completing flight school, Batson arrived in the North Country at Fort Drum in the fall of 2021. From there, he began his role as an Aviation Warrant Officer and started flying A64 Apache Helicopters.

In his role every day, he is responsible for soldiers and is assigned official duties. However, he discussed how in his leadership role he helps to promote inclusion and diversity.

“We mostly try to tell everyone, you know, everyone has the same opportunities,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what your skin color is. It’s all up to you what goals you set for yourself and how hard you are willing to go for those.”

He also said he often shares his experience of becoming a pilot with other soldiers to encourage them to follow their dreams and reach any goals they may have.

“I try to talk to soldiers as much as I can, especially coming from the background that I have,” Batson expressed. “A lot of infantrymen don’t really think that they have the opportunities. And I try to be that person that shows them that ‘you have the opportunities it’s all up to you.’”

And with this advice, Batson said he is continuously setting new goals for himself as he continues his career, taking to the skies with the U.S. Army.

“When I was a younger soldier, I had a Platoon Sergeant that told me he pulled me to the side and he asked me: ‘What are you doing that is separating you from your peers?’ And that’s stuck with me from that moment on,” Batson shared.

“I set a goal for myself every single year. I wanted to achieve something. It’s helped me along my career progression promotions, and it’s definitely helped me to become what I am today.”

William Cathay enlisted in the U.S. Army on Nov. 15, 1866, for a three-year term. Since the Army didn’t do full physical examinations during this period, it would allow Cathay to serve out most of the contract, even though William Cathay was actually Cathay Williams, a woman posing as a man. But her service started long before she was old enough to enlist.

She would end her Army career as the Army’s only female Buffalo Soldier and first Black woman to enlist.

She was born in 1844 in Missouri to a free father and an enslaved woman, which made her legally a slave. When the Union Army captured Jefferson City, slaves were considered “contraband” so Cathay Williams and slaves like her supported the Union army as camp followers. She and others cooked for the troops, cleaned their laundry or acted as nurses.

According to stories told by Williams after her enlistment and discharge, she followed the Union Army throughout the west and was present for many of its most important engagements, including the Siege of Vicksburg and Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea.

She had begun supporting the Union Army at age 17. By the time the war ended, she was 22 years old, but the army was all she’d known as an adult. With the Civil War over and slaves across the country freed, she enlisted in the Army, posing as William Cathay and was sent to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

The unit was organized in 1866 as one of six segregated Black infantry regiments, which became collectively known as “Buffalo Soldiers.” They were the first all-Black infantry regiments of the regular Army formed during peacetime.

The 38th’s primary mission was protecting the construction of the intercontinental railroads, the first of which was completed in 1869, when the 38th merged with the 41st Infantry Regiment. The 41st was also a segregated unit, which had spent the time in Louisiana and Texas.

The only thing that kept Williams from completing her enlistment was a disease that would be eliminated in the United States 20 years later: smallpox. She contracted the virus not long after signing up for the Army. After recovering, she rejoined the 38th, which was then in New Mexico for the railroads’ east-west continental connection.

After years of stress on her body, frequent hospitalizations and never fully recovering from her smallpox infection, Army doctors finally took a closer look at William Cathay and discovered the truth. She was honorably discharged in 1868 and moved to Fort Union, New Mexico, where she went to work as a cook.

The Buffalo Soldiers went on to fight in the Indian Wars of the American West and the Spanish-American War. Cathay Williams moved to Colorado. She became a seamstress as her story remained untold in the wider press for almost a decade. In 1874, a reporter from the St. Louis Daily Times heard rumors of a Black woman who had served in and was honorably discharged from the Army and published an account two years later.

Williams’ medical troubles followed her for the rest of her life. She was known to have suffered from neuralgia (pain along certain nerves) and diabetes (from which she lost all her toes), but her applications for medical pensions from the Army were denied. No one knows when or where she died or at what age.

The Global Association of Buffalo Soldiers Recognition and Riding Club Inc. finally recognized Cathay Williams’ historic service after almost 150 years. In 2015, it unveiled a monument bench for Pvt. Cathay Williams on the Walk of Honor at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia.

— Blake Stilwell can be reached at [email protected]. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Winchester, Va. – With a long legacy of delivering solutions in one of the most complex engineering and construction environments on earth, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division remains the ‘partner of choice’ throughout the Middle East and Central Asia by building relationships on a foundation of commitment to excellence.

This past month, the Transatlantic Division’s Team of Teams hosted Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, the 55th Chief of Engineers and commanding general of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in Kuwait and Iraq, for an action-packed week of project site tours and vital engagements with U.S. and allied nation mission partners. With more than 140 ongoing projects totaling nearly $4 billion throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations, there was plenty to see.

Over the course of the week, Spellmon talked with hundreds of military and civilian professionals, including engineers from the Transatlantic Division’s two districts, the Transatlantic Middle East District and Transatlantic Expeditionary District, He also met with both U.S. and host nation partners to discuss bilateral ties, cooperation, and issues of common interest, especially in the military field and ways of boosting military coordination.

U.S. Army Col. Philip M. Secrist III, Middle East District commander, and Tom Waters, Middle East District director of programs, also traveled to Kuwait with Spellmon to see first-hand the complex work being accomplished by their district.

“The bulk of our current program is work on behalf our allied nation partners,” Secrist said. “They don’t have to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, they choose to work with us. That speaks to both the quality of the work we’ve delivered for 70 years and just as importantly, to the relationships we’ve built with those we work with.”

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Delfin J. Romani, Transatlantic Division command sergeant major, coordinated the week-long trip, ensuring all the moving parts lined up allowing the teams to focus on engagement.

“The Transatlantic Division has a large span of diverse stakeholders who maintain a strong interest in our program. In addition to CENTCOM and U.S. Special Operations Command, we coordinate regularly with the service component commands like U.S. Army Central, U.S. Naval Forces Command and U.S. Air Forces Central.

Additionally, we support the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Assistance for International Development, the Missile Defense Agency, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Our international stakeholders include 18 of the 20 countries comprising the CENTCOM area of responsibility as well as the Combined Joint Taskforce and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It’s no small endeavor ensuring we remain connected and engaged with our partners,” Romani emphasized.

Scott Sawyer, the Transatlantic Division Program Integration Division Chief, who oversees the integration of program and project data from the districts ensuring the division sees a holistic picture of the mission, shared his thoughts on the importance of seeing the projects first-hand.

“To really be in touch with the mission you have to walk the ground, talk to the people and see up close the great things going on. Photos in briefings and reports and updates on the projects really come to life when you have seen them for yourself. You get a much better grasp of the magnitude of what we are accomplishing for our mission partners and the challenges we are overcoming to deliver the program so successfully over the course of the better part of a century.”

While in Kuwait, Spellmon also had the honor of meeting with the division’s Kuwaiti partners including Brig. Gen. Hazza Al-Alati, the Chief of Kuwait Naval Forces, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Al-Eid, the Deputy Commander of Kuwait Naval Forces, Maj. Gen. Adel Al-Hafedh, the Kuwaiti Air Defense commander, and the Kuwait Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Khaled Saleh Al-Sabah, and their staffs and delegations.

“Hearing how well we are doing and how much we are contributing directly from our mission partners, both U.S. and allied nation, really has an impact,” Spellmon expressed. “Partnerships for the Army Corps of Engineers are unique in the Middle East and Central Asia. They are built first and foremost on relationships and on our legacy of commitment.”

In the Middle East, there is a choice,” Spellmon continued. “A lot of the work the Transatlantic Division is executing is for our host nation partners and they decide where they channel their money and who they partner with to execute their engineering and construction needs. They are under no obligation to choose the Army Corps of Engineers. We earn their partnership by delivering the highest quality projects on time and on budget and prioritizing building and maintaining relationships.”

The value this Division and its Districts places on relationships and their commitment to their mission partners can be seen in the time and energy they put into engagement and the overall long-term success of their mission.”

One of the Division closest partnerships in Kuwait is the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, at Ali Al Salem Air Base. While there, Spellmon met with U.S. Air Force Col. Clinton Wilson, the commander of the 386th to review current projects being managed on the base.

“I got an up-close look at the ongoing renovations of the base dining facility, along with runway repairs and the installation of aircraft barrier arresting systems,” Spellmon said. “Ali Al Salem Air Base is a vital Army Corps of Engineers partner as it’s the primary tactical airlift hub and gateway for delivering combat power to joint and coalition forces in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

It is also one of the busiest aerial ports in the region supporting ongoing Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve missions,” Spellmon continued. “Taking care of the warfighter downrange is an honor and a privilege, and the Corps of Engineers works with CENTCOM and all its components to ensure soldiers and civilians have what they need to get the job done.”

Spellmon also viewed the construction inside one of five APS-500 buildings, located at Area Support Group – Kuwait’s Camp Arifjan. When completed the five facilities will provide critical environmental protection for Army Materiel Command’s pre-positioned stock, part of a U.S. Army program in which equipment sets are stored around the globe for use when a combatant commander requires additional capabilities.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command is another important partner in Kuwait. U.S. Navy Lt. Chris Quatroche, the officer-in-charge of U.S. Navy Construction Battalion sailors, Seabees, and members of his team, briefed Spellmon and the District leadership on the application of a hardware and software system to form and assemble cold-rolled steel framework to build semi-permanent buildings at Ali Al Salem Air Base.

The joint team of Navy Seabees and Army Theater Engineer Brigade engineers demonstrated how utilizing this modern capability allows them to build quality structures faster and cheaper than traditional wood-framed structures.

“We don’t just support construction projects,” Tom Waters, Middle East District director of programs, said following the project tour, “we are supporting regional security, we’re supporting stability operations, interoperability with our allied nation mission partners, and most importantly we are supporting U.S. service members across the CENTCOM area of responsibility”

While in Kuwait, Spellmon also hosted held two townhalls attended by more than 100 military engineers, emphasizing the importance of taking care of people.

COL Kenneth N. Reed and his team at the Expeditionary District who are located in Kuwait, picked up the tour from there and accompanied Spellmon on to Iraq to review ongoing projects in that region.

The Expeditionary District has ongoing projects in Kuwait and also serves as a Contingency Provisional Forward Postured District, delivering design, construction and related engineering services in support of named operations like Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.

The “Always Forward” District’s capabilities include providing small-scale, low-risk, and high visibility services to combatant commanders on the ground in the CENTCOM and SOCOM areas of responsibility.

Alongside the Expeditionary District’s command team, Spellmon assessed projects in Erbil including the Logistic Support Area, the dining facility, an alternate taxiway, and west taxiway road.

Spellmon also had an in-depth look at a Bunker prototype. The Bunker prototype is a joint research and development project with the Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center and is designed to reduce blast pressures inside bunkers, reducing risk of traumatic brain injuries. USACE is now working with ARCENT to finalize the prototype and implement the bunker design at military installations in Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait.

While in Erbil, Spellmon took a moment to thank U.S. Army Col. Andrew Steadman, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Brigade commander, for ensuring the team’s safety during the trip.

“Without your security support,” Spellmon said, “we would not be able to complete important assessments like these.”

Spellmon summed up the trip with an acknowledgment of the magnitude of the Division’s mission and meaningful impact the districts create through their projects.

“The physical working environment in the Middle East is unlike anything I’ve encountered in the U.S.,” Spellmon said. “The Transatlantic Districts are executing engineering and construction projects in regions where foundations are built on sand and stone and structures have to stand up to intense heat and unpredictable winds and rain.

The opportunity to tackle and overcome these challenges and deliver projects that improve not only the functionality but ultimately increase the security and stability across the region is unparalleled,” Spellmon continued. “And the depth of the relationships with our allied nation partners is just amazing to witness.

The Division and its Districts are truly living up to its legacy of being the engineering services and solutions organization of choice throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.”