From the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS); posted April 18, 2015
AtCampArifjan,KW•U.S.ArmyCentral
By Spc. Eleeziaa N. Howard
234 th Engineering Company
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – The 234 th
Engineer Company, based out of Warren-
ton, Oregon, and the 528 th Engineer
Battalion from Monroe, Louisiana, have
been working together on many projects,
to include two major housing projects on
Camp Arifjan.
The Re-locatable Buildings, or RLB,
are portable rooms on a pier block founda-
tion, and the Wet Containerized Housing
Units, or WET CHUs, are stacked connex
containers that have indoor plumbing.
The decline of troops needed in
Afghanistan and the beginning of Opera-
tion Inherent Resolve in Iraq has caused
personnel numbers in Kuwait to swell,
leading to a shortage of available hous-
ing here.
“We needed more room for growth.
Being able to give a better quality of living
for the Soldiers is important,” said Col.
Steven Cade, of Roanoke, Virginia, com-
mander of Area Support Group-Kuwait
and an engineer officer. “I am looking
forward to when they get to move out of
temporary housing that they have been in
since December.”
The completion of the projects has
provided a total of 56 WET CHU units
and 64 rooms in the RLBs. Combined,
these units can provide housing for up to
736 Soldiers.
With the projects left largely incom-
plete, the 234 th Eng. Co. and 528 th Eng.
Bn. had to start work from the ground up.
Prior to the arrival of the 234 th Eng.
Co., Kuwait experienced a 100-year flood,
which was, in large part, the reason why
the RLBs and WET CHUs were incom-
plete by the outgoing unit.
“When we received the RLB project,
the soil was not able to support the build-
ings when the 100-year flood had come
through the year before. We had to survey
the land and make a topographic map.
We began by collecting data from the
surrounding sites to see where the water
drained,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2
Wayne Thomas, company commander of
621 st Survey and Design from East Bend,
North Carolina. “From that data we were
able to create a ditch that would hold the
right amount of water as it flowed to the
detention pond.”
The flooding caused heavy water
damage on both projects that caused mold
to form in the dry wall and leakage in the
roofing. The RLB pier block foundation
had begun to sink into the soft sand, caus-
ing an uneven foundation that began to
crack the walls. In the WET CHUs most
of the plumbing was either incomplete
or nonexistent. There was also electrical
work that still needed to be completed.
There were a few difficulties Thomas
had to overcome on the RLB site, includ-
ing his unfamiliarity with the moon dust-
like soil. Due to its light nature, it had to
be sealed with one-inch stone to prevent
it from washing away when the pier block
foundation was reset and the drainage
system complete.
Problems with the environment were
not the only issues that both projects faced.
The request for building material
was problematic. Spc. Keith Bonnette
Jr., from Marksville, Louisiana, and
the project manager for 528 th Eng. Bn.,
was involved with the procurement of
building materials. He was responsible
for tracking project deadlines, budgets,
personnel, equipment and tools. It was
not uncommon for needed materials to be
shipped from the United States, taking a
few months to arrive in Kuwait.
Bonnette was a great help in speeding
up the process of getting the materials
approved and keeping the platoon lead-
ers informed on the status of their order.
“When we first fell in on the buildings
they were in terrible condition. They had
no infrastructure and were a long ways
from being a finished project. My job
required me to interact with many differ-
ent organizations on post. I got to develop
many good relationships and enhance my
management skills,” said Bonnette.
“One of the most difficult parts of
this project was getting a bill of materi-
als. Without materials our project comes
to a standstill,” said Sgt. Preston Eberth,
secondary construction manager for the
WET CHU project.
Sgt. Virgil Newberry, who hails from
Sandy, Oregon, was the construction
manager for the RLBs. He managed the
numerous teams on the job site. At any
one point there were more than 100 Sol-
diers working on the project. They worked
on dry wall, electric, texturing, mudding,
painting, base boards, drop ceilings and
cosmetic touch ups.
“I think the toughest part about the
whole project was when we had other mis-
sions that took bodies away. Along with
waiting for materials to arrive, it made for
a slow completion,” said Newberry.
Sgt. Christopher Djoseland, a heavy
equipment operator from Wilsonville,
Oregon, was the construction manager
for the WET CHU project. Djoseland
joined the unit for the mobilization and
was placed into the management role
because of his extensive civilian experi-
ence in owning a construction company.
He supervised more than 30 Soldiers
and successfully kept the job-site tempo
flowing as smoothly as possible, even
with the difficulty of receiving materials
on time.
Lt. Col. Greg St. Romain, a native of
St. Francisville, Louisiana, and the 528 th
Eng. Bn. commander, was responsible for
identifying and understanding all ongoing
or future projects. Once he established
a plan of action, he then assigned units
according to their skills and expertise.
“I know what the prize looked like
and I needed to make sure the others
saw that. We needed to keep focused and
make sure we finished before the end of
the year. It’s all about identifying lists of
materials then making a schedule for the
entire year, lots of planning ahead, always
Courtesy photo
Spc. Michael Martin and Spc. Eleeziaa Howard, both of whom are Siletz Tribal
members
making sure to do step one before step
three,” said St. Romain.
Cade stated his favorite part of the
projects was, “being able to walk through
and talk to all the Soldiers, (and) seeing
that they go to do their job they trained
for. Plumbers got to be plumbers and
carpenters got to be carpenters.”
The RLB and WET CHU project
work crew fluctuated from 40 to 100
Soldiers throughout the year. There
was a constant battle to ensure Soldiers
remained busy while balancing other
projects and missions.
“While stationed in Kuwait, our com-
pany had up to 20 construction missions
going on in Kuwait at one time. In addi-
tion, the company had two to 58 Soldiers
at any given time, (in) other countries such
as Afghanistan, Iraq and Jordan. It was a
challenge to send the right people down
range, with the right skill sets, while main-
taining mission support in Kuwait, and to
be successful in all locations,” said Maj.
Andrew Vidourek, 234 th Eng. Co. com-
mander. “(The) 234 th Engineer Company
came with the right people to do the job.
Our Soldiers have made Oregon proud.”
After two units prior attempted to
begin the project, it’s a real accomplish-
ment being able to finish it from the
beginning to the end. The 234 th Eng. Co.
and 528 th Eng. Bn. were able to give back,
keeping true to the U.S. Army Engineer
motto, ‘Essayons,’ meaning, ‘Let us try.’
“This shows the value of the engineer
corps. We can and will build it. We get to
show what we can do. These projects are
something we can leave behind and be
proud of it,” said Cade.
In honor of the engineer corps and
the engineer Soldiers who completed the
project, a concrete castle was constructed
and the new living space was unofficially
titled, “Essayons Estates.”
For more information about the Siletz Tribe, please visit ctsi.nsn.us.
June 2015
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SiletzNews
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