Download - ANA K 9 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 Sapper Sentinel · the west, to Shank ENGINEERin the east, our engineer teams are working hard, solving problems, taking care of their Soldiers, Sailors and

Issue 1 — October 2013

Greetings from Bagram, Afghanistan!

On October 2nd, we as‐sumed responsibility as the Thea‐ter Engineer Brigade, Joint Task

Force Sapper. We oversee 4,000 Soldiers, Sailors and Air‐men who provide route clearance, bridging, and c o n s t r u c t i o n

capability to every region in Af‐ghanistan. Furthermore, our team trains and partners with six Af‐ghan engineer battalions and will soon begin advising the Afghan National Engineer Brigade. We also manage the moving of thou‐sands of pieces of equipment as coalition presence decreases.

As expected, the team we brought from Hawaii and those of our subordinate task forces are magnificent. In the three weeks since assuming our new mission, CSM Etter and I have visited most of our units. From Kandahar in the south, to Mazar‐e‐Sharif in the north, and from Shindand in the west, to Shank in the east, our engineer teams are working hard, solving problems, taking care of their Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen, and building a capable Afghan engineer force. The members of JTF Sapper are an inspiration and it is an honor to serve with them.

Special thanks to our fami‐lies, friends, and the 130th Engi‐neer Battalion (Provisional) back at Schofield Barracks for all the support they provide so that we can focus on this historic mission! SAPPERS IN!!

— COL Diana Holland

Message from the Commander

At A Glance…

JTF SAPPER SERVING AS THEATER ENGINEER BRIGADE, COMMANDING ABOUT 4,000 MILITARY ENGINEERS

ENGINEER FORCES SPREAD ACROSS AFGHANISTAN IN SUPPORT OF NATO-LED INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE (ISAF)

JOINT TEAM LED BY 130TH ENG. BRIGADE HQS FROM SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII… INCLUDES ACTIVE, RESERVE, AND GUARD UNITS FROM ARMY, NAVY AND AIR FORCE

FOURTH LARGEST UNIT UNDER ISAF JOINT COMMAND, BEHIND ONLY EAST, SOUTH, AND SOUTHWEST REGIONAL COMMANDS

COMMAND SGT. MAJ.’S CORNER. TF BAYONET CARES ON MISSION

2

ANA LEARNS MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY FROM ENGINEER

3

LOGISTICS EFFORTS IN THE ANA DEVELOPMENT MISSION

4

STAYING ARMY A FAMILY AFFAIR 6

SURVEY AND DESIGN WORK ON DRAINAGE PROBLEM IN BAGRAM

7

HEADQUARTERS & HEADQUARTERS COMPANY (HHC) UPDATE

9

JTF SAPPER CROSSWORD! 10

GALLERY: AROUND THE BRIGADE. CHAPLAIN’S CLOSING

11

Inside this issue…

NEWSLE T T ER OF THE THEATER ENG I NEER BR IGADE IN AFGHA N IS TAN

J O I N T T A S K F O R C E S A P P E R

Facebook.com/TheaterEngineerBrigade

plished through the development of the Afghan National Army engi‐neer force, route clearance, and ISAF troop construction.

During the ceremony, Col. Diana Holland, commander of the 130th Eng. Bde. told the Soldiers from HHC, “You are the right

team at the right time to shape and lead the engineer effort in Afghani‐stan.” “I have watched our team grow, evolve and work very hard

over the past year,” said Holland. “I am very excited to see them seize the opportunity to do ex‐traordinary things and make a difference at the strategic level.”

(Continued on page 8)

By 1st Lt. Laura B. Beebe JTF Sapper Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghani‐stan — The 130th Engineer Bri‐gade assumed authority of the mission as the Theater Engineer Brigade in Afghanistan from the 555th Eng. Bde., Joint Task Force Triple Nickel, Oct. 2nd.

With the arrival of the 130th Eng. Bde. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, totaling over 120 Sol‐diers, Joint Task Force Sapper, takes over the mission of manag‐ing the engineer assets in support of the International Security As‐sistance Force. This is accom‐

Sapper Sentinel

130th Arrives, Takes Over Theater Engineer Brigade

ANA conducts operations in southern Afghanistan… PAGE 6

Seabee skills sought after by K‐9 unit … PAGE 5

“SAPPERS IN!”

Col. Diana Holland & Command Sgt. Maj. John Etter un‐case the 130th Eng. Bde. colors during the transfer of authority ceremony Oct. 2nd

“You are the right team at the right time to shape and lead the

engineer effort in Afghanistan”

Evenfarfromhome,youcanmakeapositiveimpactinthecharitiesand

causesthatmattertoyou!Considergivingthroughthe

CombinedFederalCampaign‐Overseas.

CFC‐OverseasCampaign

SpeakwithyourunitCFCrep,orvisitwww.cfcoverseas.org

Aloha to our Ohana from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan!

Task Force Sapper has suc‐cessfully replaced Task Force

Triple Nickel. We’re now in the lead and your Soldiers are represent‐ing the 130th Eng. Bde., 8th TSC, Hawaii and the Army

proudly. I recognize your loved ones

safety may be of concern to you, but I assure you they are physi‐cally and mentally fit, resourced properly, and trained to go up against any enemy that seeks to bring violence and fear into the country of Afghanistan.

We are aware of the dan‐gers this conflict brings, but rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to be safe and using common sense. We are trained properly and that with camara‐derie and confidence will lead to mission success.

On the home front, I under‐stand that it can be hard at

times. Not always knowing or understanding what is going on with your loved one can bring about feelings of unease and worry. But your Soldier needs you to be strong and resilient and never to forget the love that is shared between you.

Even though the Army is taking care of us, we still want to receive your fan mail! Our HHC address once again is:

NAME JTF Sapper BLDG 23050 APO AE 09354 Thank you for supporting

your Soldier! Army Strong, Sus‐tain the Force, Sappers In, God Bless America & God Bless your Soldiers. Mahalo! (“Thank you!”)

Sappers In, CSM John Etter

Command Sergeant Major’s Corner Command Sgt. Maj. John Etter, “Sapper 7”

The Sapper Sentinel is an authorized newsletter for members of the 130th Engineer Brigade and Joint Task Force Sapper. Contents are not necessarily endorsed by the Dept. of the Army, Dept. of Defense, or United States Government. Content is reviewed, edited, and approved by the Brigade Public Affairs Officer. For questions, comments, or submissions, please contact the Brigade PAO.

Public Affairs Officer: 1LT Laura Beth Beebe [email protected]

Issue 1 — October 2013 Sapper Sentinel

“Your Soldiers are representing the 130th Eng. Bde., 8th TSC, Hawaii and

the Army proudly.”

65th Eng. Battalion Assumes Vital Mission in Afghanistan By U.S. Army 1st Lt. Andrew Hicks TF Bayonet Public Affairs

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Hel‐

mand Province, Afghanistan—Early on the morning of 21 Octo‐ber, over 250 Soldiers from the 65th Engineer Battalion (CE), 130th Eng. Brigade and the 307th Eng. Bn. (C) (A), 20th Eng. Bde. gathered on Camp Leather‐neck, Afghanistan to witness a ceremony between two historic

and prestigious engineer com‐mands. The ceremony featured the casing of the 307th Eng. Bn. colors, and the uncasing of the 65th Eng. Bn. colors. This casing and un‐casing of colors signified the transfer of authority of engi‐neer operations in Regional Command South, South West and West to the 65th Eng. Bn.

The 65th Eng. Bn. will form and lead Task Force Bayonet, a multi‐faceted fighting force con‐

sisting of over eight engineer and logistical companies and an Afghan Na‐tional Army m e n t o r i n g team. TF Bayo‐net will con‐tinue working under their parent unit,

the 130th Engineer Brigade, whose headquarters recently took over the Theater Engineer Brigade as Joint Task Force Sap‐per, and will resume the ongoing mission in support of the Inter‐national Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan.

The primary focus of TF Bayonet will be partnership and development operations with ANA engineers and other minis‐

(Continued on page 4)

1st Lt. Courtney Heaps, right, TF Bayonet Adjutant, narrates the transfer of authority ceremony between the 307th Eng. Bn. from Ft. Bragg, N.C. and the 65th Eng. Bn. From Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

The 65th Eng. Bn. will form

and lead Task Force Bayonet, a

multi-faceted fighting force

This newsletter belongs to the members of Joint Task Force Sapper…

Send us photos, stories, and ideas for future coverage, and see your unit’s accomplishments highlighted on our Facebook page and in future editions

of the Sapper Sentinel!

Facebook.com/TheaterEngineerBrigade Email: [email protected]

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Spencer Hampton, TF Bayonet Public Affairs


By U.S. Army Sgt. Justin Moeller Task Force Currahee Public Affairs

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Heath Ken‐nedy, forward support company advisor with Security Advise and Assist Team 4, 4th Brigade Com‐bat Team, 101st Airborne Divi‐sion (Air Assault), along with the help of Soldiers with the 850th Horizontal Engineer Company, Minne‐sota National Guard, assisted the Afghan National Army’s 203rd Engineer Khandak with the maintenance of military trucks as well as construction vehicles at Forward Operating Base Thun‐der, Afghanistan, Oct. 6th.

“The ANA had a bunch of equipment come back from a mission in Chamkani, where they were putting up Hescos (barriers) and guard towers.” said Staff Sgt. Christopher James, a heavy construction equipment repairer with the 850th Horizon‐tal Engineer Company, Minne‐sota National Guard, and native of Rice, Minn. “With the equip‐ment they brought back, we took

the ANA mechanics through it all and supervised while they per‐formed Preventative Mainte‐nance Checks and Services on it.”

The use of PMCS will assist them in keeping their vehicles mission capable and also help them recover from their mission by showing deficiencies that need to be resolved.

“They are recovering from their missions, trying to get their mainte‐nance under con‐trol,” said Kennedy, a native of Lincoln, Neb. “Since a lot of their equipment is

brand new, it is taking a little time getting (replacement) parts in their supply system.”

Getting their supply system up and running is an obstacle that any new unit faces.

“This unit is brand new, they started when we got here in May,” James said. “They are eager to learn, very eager to learn. When I had them as stu‐dents they always asked ques‐tions, they were always involved with the training.”

Spending the majority of a deployment training, developing

and then seeing them employ what they have learned brings about a sense of accomplish‐ment.

“We’ve been working with them for about five months now and they are implement‐ing everything that they’re learning,” said Spc. Lucas Pa‐pesh, a Soldier with the 850th Horizontal Engineer Company, Minnesota National Guard, and native of Carlton, Minn. “For the majority of them,

we started from scratch by teaching them basic stuff that they know pretty well now.”

“For as new as this battal‐ion is, they are doing quite well,” Kennedy expressed. “It’s just taking time and as time goes on these guys will (continue to) receive the train‐ing they need to accomplish their

mission.” Which is what the SFAAT

mission is all about, getting the ANA to a point of self‐sustainability.

“Teaching Responsibility” ANA learns equipment maintenance from Engineers

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher James, a heavy construction equip‐ment repairer with the 850th Horizontal Engineer Company, Minne‐sota National Guard, shows an ANA soldier with the 203rd Engineer Khandak, how to open a compartment on a bulldozer.

An Afghan National Army soldier with the 203rd Engineer Khandak, checks the cables and lines in the engine compartment of a bulldozer.

The use of PMCS will assist them in

keeping their vehicles mission capable

Which is what the SFAAT mission is all

about, getting the ANA to a point of self-sustainability

southern Afghanistan to further identify sustainment issues.

Sustainers provide the ex‐pertise required to readily iden‐tify issues that can be detrimen‐tal to any supply chain. This expertise and willingness to sup‐port the training mission of ANA engineers, has helped increase and sustain communication of logistics issues within the TEB community.

“The largest hurdle to logis‐tics seems to be inter‐Afghan communication,” 1st Lt. Carolyn

Richley, JTF Sapper ANA Devel‐opment officer commented. “ANA development will continue to require J4 assistance in order to maintain communication with the logistics players.”

Maj. Pete Spratt, JTF Sapper J4 remarked, “Our logistical inte‐gration effort to ANA engineer development is the center of gravity to achieving both our lead line of effort, and enabling the capability of an ANA/NEB that is organically sustainable.”


By U.S. Army 1st Lt. James Beebe Joint Task Force Sapper Deputy J4

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghani‐stan—The JTF Sapper J4 sustain‐ment cell continues to integrate into Afghan National Army De‐velopment operations. Earlier this month, the J4 participated in a Key Leader Engagement in northern Afghanistan at Camp Spann and Camp Shaheen to help identify and troubleshoot solu‐tions for logistics issues currently plaguing the 209th Corps Engineer Kandak (CEK) and the ANA Engineer School House.

Although this was the first time Theater Engineer Brigade (TEB) logistics representatives have been so well integrated into ANA Development, the addi‐tion of logistics representatives in KLEs and subsequent working

and targeting groups at the stra‐tegic level have proved benefi‐cial. The TEB continuously works on the issue of how the TEB sup‐ports ANA Development with federal resources, but more im‐portantly how the TEB can help the ANA better utilize and fix issues within their own logistics framework.

The logistical expertise brought to the ANA Develop‐

ment fight is an important compo‐nent to ensure current and future engineer training and operations across CJOA‐A are successful. Upcoming lines of

effort for the J4 include develop‐ing a common operating picture (COP) of logistics issues facing the National Engineer Brigade (NEB), scheduled to begin train‐ing in the coming months, and a trip to visit the 205th CEK in

1st Lt. James Beebe & 1st Lt. Carolyn Richley (2nd & 3rd from left) partici‐pate in a key leader engagement with the ANA engineers of the 209th CEK

Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Trevor Johnson, JTF Sapper

Jeffrey Nordin, 65th Eng. Bn. Operations Officer. “A responsi‐bility that was once placed on three battalions will be placed solely on our shoulders. I am confident that we will be suc‐cessful because of the unyielding strength that our Soldiers have dis‐played over the last nine months.”

Nordin was speaking of the ex‐pansive reach TF Bayonet will have. The 65th Eng. Bn. arrives in theater as the ANA is stepping into the lead. Prior to their arrival from their home station of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the engineer mission in southern, south‐western, and western Afghanistan was moni‐tored and managed by three different battalion level com‐mands. TF Bayonet will provide

mission command for all engi‐neer operations across that large area.

As addressed by the TF Bayonet Commander, Lt. Col. David Acker, this task, like so many others carried out by this

historic battalion, will be difficult. However, also like the veterans that served during World War II, Korea, Vietnam and just four years ago in Iraq, we

will prevail and exceed expecta‐tions. Acker stated clearly, “You (TF Bayonet) are well trained, well equipped, and well lead…we have every confidence in your abilities to accomplish this tough mission”. The Soldiers of TF Bayonet will add another great chapter to the long history of the most decorated engineer battal‐ion in the U.S. Army.

tries of the Afghan Government. Engineer training teams will be embedded with their ANA coun‐terparts to provide mentorship in engineer operations. TF Bayo‐net will be directly responsible to ensure that the ANA are capable of operating as an independent fighting force. Concurrently, Bayonet route clearance pack‐ages will assure mobility for coa‐lition forces and Afghan civilians using various Improvised Explo‐sive Device (IED) defeat plat‐forms. Platoons under TF Bayo‐net will work to find and elimi‐nate the threat of IEDs to ensure coalition forces are safe for the entire time they are operating in theater.

“The authority assumed today and throughout our up‐coming deployment brings with it great responsibility,” said Maj.

(Continued from page 2)

Authority Transfer of South, South-west, & West Engineers

Logistics Efforts Integrate with ANA Development

“A responsibility that was once placed on three battalions will be placed solely on

our shoulders.”

Sustainers provide the expertise required to

readily identify issues that can be detrimental to any

supply chain

Lt. Col. David Acker and Command Sgt. Maj. Harold McVicker, TF Bayonet Command Team, uncase the 65th Eng. Bn. Colors during the Transfer of Authority Ceremony at Camp Leatherneck Oct. 21st.

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Spencer Hampton,


KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Af‐ghanistan – A select group of Seabees attached to Naval Mo‐bile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 28, con‐structed a cov‐ered, outdoor training area where military working dog han‐dlers with the 4th Infantry Division (ID) will be able to build a stronger working relationship with their Military Working Dogs (MWD).

“The area we built is 96 feet long, eight feet wide and eight to 10 feet high with a lean‐to roof.

The roof is 10 feet wide allowing for a two foot overhang,” said Builder 1st Class Mark Campbell, the team leader in charge of

building the yard area. The project also consisted of grading, erecting a timber frame and adding a chain link fence with two gates.

“There’s a yard now where the dogs can run, play and exer‐cise, and pretty much a dog can be a dog”, said Master‐at‐Arms 2nd Class Douglas Fisher, MWD handler deployed with the 4th ID. “The handlers and the dogs

can build a better rapport now that we have a controlled area where we can do a little off leash training with them.”

Fisher joined the Navy in 2007, and has been working as a MWD handler since graduating from the three month dog handling school at Joint Base San Anto‐nio (Lackland Air Force Base), San Antonio, three years ago. “Working as a dog handler is a great job, it’s one of the better things I feel that I have done with my life and my career, it’s a very rewarding job,” said Fisher, who is sta‐tioned in Rota, Spain, and cur‐rently deployed to Afghanistan with the 4th ID.

“The dogs do patrol, which is attack work, and then also detection, whether it be drugs or explosives,” said Fisher. “When we are back at home station we train and train and train, so very rarely do we get to utilize the dog in a real situation. So it’s good to see all the dedication and hard work pay off here in

country.” Fisher mentioned that he

saw Seabees around the base; he tracked down their unit and asked for their assistance. Fisher explained, “They [NMCB 28] have

helped support us immensely in the short time they have been here. They have got a few more pro‐jects that they are doing for us.” “I just want to give a special thanks to the

Seabees that came out and helped us,” said Fisher. “What may seem like little projects to them are definitely big for us and the dogs, and it will truly benefit the war effort out here in Af‐ghanistan.”

Seabees’ Skills Sought After to Build Military Working Dog Training Area

He saw Seabees around the base; he tracked down their unit and asked for

their assistance

U.S. Navy Master‐at‐arms 2nd Class Douglas Fisher and military working dog ‘Master‐at‐arms 1st Class’ Buksi play in the yard area the NMCB 28 build for the 4th Infantry Division in Kandahar Airfield

Story & photos by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Banfield Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28 Mass Communications Specialist

“What may seem like little projects to them

are definitely big for us and the dogs, and it will truly benefit the

war effort”

Steelworker 1st Class Michael Boucher, NMCB 28, interacts with one of the military working dogs Oct. 11th, after the Seabees finished building the K‐9 unit a training area on Kandahar Airfield

Seabees pose with a military work‐ing dog after finishing construction


By Capt. Sayward Hall IV 819th Eng. Co. Executive Officer

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghani‐stan— The 819th Engineer Com‐pany (Sapper), “Firestarters,” has been diligently working with their partnered Afghan National Army Route Clearance Company (COY) to sharpen route clearance skills, clear roads, and conduct key leader engagements.

The Firestarters, com‐manded by Capt. Jared Waggoner, have an Embedded Training Team (ETT) which works closely with the ANA COY, 2nd Battalion, 205th Corps Engineer Kandak (CEK). The COY has been vigorously training with the ETT for the past few months, familiar‐izing themselves with equipment, developing and refining their tactics, techniques and proce‐dures, and validating their opera‐tions.

The 819th Engineer Com‐pany ETT utilized different train‐ing lanes to validate the COY’s route clearance capabilities. This validation has led to advanced partnered training and route clearance operations between the COY and the Firestarters.

Throughout September and October, the COY and elements

from the 819th Eng. Co. have gone on numerous missions throughout the region ensuring freedom of move‐ment and maneuver by clearing IEDs and all obstacles along their routes. On one such mission, the combined elements cleared from Qalat to Nawbahar,

Building Skills: ANA conducts route clearance ops in southern Afghanistan

ANA Route Clearance Company (COY) soldiers conduct dismounted operations alongside the mounted 819th Engineer Company. (Photo by Sgt. Romel Clariza, 819th Eng. Co.)

Afghanistan, to facilitate the fidel‐ity of the upcoming national elections, permitting Afghan officials to travel to areas which have previously been con‐trolled by the Taliban and along routes that were in the past ex‐tremely hazardous.

The COY has encountered

both small arms and indirect fire, in addition to finding over 30 IEDs.

"The ANA proved that they can handle what the enemy puts in front of them. They handled themselves very well out there,” said 1st Lt. Steven Tuy, platoon leader with the 819th Eng. Co. “I was very pleased with the ANA and my soldier's actions and per‐formance during the mission."

“The ANA proved that they can handle what the enemy puts

in front of them.”

2nd Lt. Adam Pontrich, a platoon leader for 59th Mobility Augmentation Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, reenlists his older brother Sgt. 1st Class Alan Thomas, intelligence noncommissioned officer, for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Forward Operating Base Apache, Afghanistan, Oct. 17, 2013. The brothers are from La Grange, Ky. Pontrich commissioned in May 2012 and has been in country for nine months. Thomas has been in Afghanistan since May. Both brothers were thrilled at this rare opportunity to re‐unite down range. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Toby Cook, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division)

Staying Army a Family Affair: Younger brother reenlists older brother in Afghanistan

Photo by U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Erin Jankowski, TF Iron Fist Public Affairs


By Staff Sgt. James Hare Squad Leader, J7, JTF Sapper

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghani‐stan – The problem set in front of them was an existing com‐pound with drainage issues, a difficult task for any normal skilled engineer. However, the engineers of the Theater Engi‐neer Brigade’s (TEB) J7, Survey and Design section tackle the task while deployed to Afghani‐stan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XIV.

The TEB, based out of Ba‐gram Air Force Base, is currently under the command of Col. Diana Holland, 130th Eng. Bde. Commander, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Approximately 30 Soldiers, Airmen, and Navy Seabees, from Active duty, Reserve, and Na‐tional Guard, are in the J7 head‐quarters. The mixture of ser‐vices and duty statuses give the J7 section an assortment of knowledge and viewpoints to draw from.

Within the J7, the survey and design section is comprised of diversity and specialty in occu‐pation specialty, which delivers dynamic output in geodetic sur‐veying, topographical surveying, materials testing, drafting, and most importantly quality assur‐ance of troop construction pro‐

Survey and Design Section takes on drainage challenge

jects across the country. These Soldiers are highly

skilled in survey & design opera‐tions using programs such as AutoCAD and Terramodel to help facilitate the planning and build‐ing of construction projects within the Combined Joint Op‐erational Area ‐ Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. James Rector, JTF Sapper J7, explained, “Horizontal projects are highly technical for survey team. Starting back at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, our teams perfected their survey and design techniques on multiple horizontal projects supporting Army, Navy and Marine Corps installations and training areas.”

The surveying for this pro‐ject was broken down into two teams, each consisting of a Tech‐nical Engineering NCO and five Technical Engineering Specialists. Each team was given specific areas of responsibility to collect the existing topographical data utilizing GNSS R8 equipment.

Employing the GPS survey set, uses global positioning satel‐lites to display and collect the precise location and elevation of any point that is recorded by the operator. The surveying teams used this equip‐ment to collect data and informa‐tion of the existing earth surface, as well as, existing buildings, side‐walks, ditches, roads and any other features relevant to calculating the cor‐rect amount of drainage for this project.

Once all of the information has been collected the survey teams input the data into com‐puter aided drafting programs, which will allow them to design drainage mitigation solutions specific to the project.

The surveying team was able to provide the United States

Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with a complete design of how to mitigate the troublesome drainage issue on Camp Alpha located in Bagram Airfield.

Through the high level of technical expertise displayed by these Soldiers they were able to design multiple swales and cul‐verts to be emplaced throughout the site. Using the survey data collected, they were able to find the direction of travel for storm water and able to design ways to divert the water to a more suit‐

able location for drainage. The TEB J7 Survey and Design section has proven to be a viable asset not only to the Theater Engineer Brigade,

but to all constructing elements located on Bagram Airfield and throughout the country of Af‐ghanistan.

“Our work induction proc‐ess drives all engineer effort across Afghanistan. The survey and design teams are the key piece of this process,” Rector remarked. “Without their exper‐tise we would not be able to synchronize engineer resources adequately across the theater.

“Without their expertise, we would not be able to synchronize engineer resources adequately across the theater”

Pfc. Eli Vick collects data utilizing GNSS R8 at the Camp Alpha complex

Spc. Kyle Kim (left), Cpl. Richard Ohman and Pfc. Michael Williams walk through their survey plan Oct. 18th

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Laura B. Beebe, JTF Sapper Public Affairs

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Laura B. Beebe, JTF Sapper Public Affairs

The 130th Eng. Bde. takes over this multifaceted mission at a critical time as the engineers across the country are focusing on training the ANA engineer force, find‐ing and eliminating improvised explo‐sive devices in order to provide safe pas‐sage along road‐ways for coalition forces and Afghan civilians, and providing troop construction for coalition forces.

The big task JTF Sapper has in front of them is they will ad‐vise Afghanistan’s National Engi‐neer Brigade which will be estab‐lished this winter. They will also continue the mission of training the six Afghan engineer battal‐ions that the JTF Triple Nickel started.

Looking back on the past nine months, the 555th Eng. Bde. commander, Col. Nicholas Katers said, “It was a wicked problem we were sent here to solve, but that is what engineers truly love to do.”

“Our troops have embraced the Afghan engineers and served

(Continued from Page 1) shoulder to shoulder with them, teaching them how to build and fight,” said Katers. He continued by telling the 130th Soldiers, “It has always been, and will con‐

tinue to be a team effort.” ANA engineer devel‐opment is consid‐ered by the leader‐ship of JTF Sapper to be their top priority. The Theater Engi‐neer Brigade cur‐

rently partners with approxi‐mately 4,500 Afghan engineer soldiers across 46 different units.

According to JTF Sapper ANA Development Officer, Capt. Chad Livingston, the increased focus on Afghans in the lead, now equates to 41 of the part‐nered ANA engineer units are now fully capable and five are capable and still working with coalition partners.

Holland commented on the ANA development by saying, “a great legacy in Afghanistan would be that Afghan engineer units are trained and ready for the challenges ahead and they maintain an enduring engineer capability in the long‐term.”


The Triple Nickel headed home to Joint Base Lewis McCord earlier this month with their heads held high as mission accomplished for their team. Katers remarked in the transfer of authority ceremony, “Col. Holland and Command Sgt. Maj. Etter will finish the job that the Triple Nickel, Empire and Sword have started. The momentum is irreversible. They will catch the team on the last lap as we bring the ANA engineers to full capa‐bility.”

“The 555th Eng. Bde. has done amazing things here over the past nine months,” said Hol‐land. “The entire Triple Nickel team has so much of which to be proud. It has been a pleasure working with them as we pre‐pared to deploy and now that we assume the lead.”

The 130th Eng. Bde. traces

its history to World War II with campaign credits for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes‐Alsace, Central Europe and the Asian‐Pacific theatre. They now assume control of theater engineer support across Afghanistan.

Back at home station, the 130th Eng. Bde. and 555th Eng. Bde. work parallel in the U.S. Pacific Command. Both support other command’s strategic ob‐jectives such as building the en‐gineer capacity of the region’s armies, fostering their civil‐military relations and preparing for natural disasters and opera‐tional contingencies.

Holland stated, “Really, in many ways, because our home‐station and regional focus, both of our teams were probably per‐fectly suited for the mission here.”

Col. Diana Holland and Command Sgt. Maj. John Etter discuss issues with Eng. Task Force Command Teams from around the country “It was a wicked

problem we were sent here to solve, but that

is what engineers truly love to do”

130th Engineers ready for challenges ahead


Aloha Sapper families, Your HHC Soldiers are doing

great! Over the past 30 days, our team has s u c c e s s f u l l y assumed com‐mand and con‐trol of over 4300 Engineers across all of Afghani‐

stan. I am so impressed by our team’s military discipline and their ability to adapt to this com‐plex environment. All of your deployed fam‐ily members are mak‐ing a direct difference and are setting the foundation for a suc‐cessful tour. The commitment of the 122 deployed “Combat Ready” Soldiers is unparalleled. I wish to specifically congratulate 5 indi‐viduals on our team. Sgt. 1st

Class Martinez, Spc. Breiner, Spc. Clayton, Spc. Taase, and Spc. Amaya have all made the deci‐sion to “Stay Army” and have reenlisted since our arrival. This is just one small example of what makes our collective team great.

Within the company, our mail room has been working non‐stop to keep up with all of the letters and care packages that have been sent to us. Contact is important, no matter what the

method. Notes and photos provide just as big of a morale boost as a large care pack‐age would. Your e‐mail, phone calls, letters and packages have been keeping us

motivated. Lastly, thank you for your

support on the home front through your sacrifices as well as

Brigade Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC)

Members of HHC, 130th Eng. Bde. stand in formation at Bagram Air Force Base after receiving their deployment patches in a ceremony Oct. 19th.

your support of the Company FRG. Although we are half a world apart, the 1st Sgt. and my doors are always open. Any specific issues or concerns can be discussed with me at vic‐[email protected].

“All of your deployed family

members are making a direct

difference”

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Laura B. Beebe, JTF Sapper

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for you are in ours. Combat Ready!

‐Capt. Victor Gronenthal Commander, HHC, 130th Eng. Bde.

JTF Sapper Public Affairs: Media Guidelines for Soldiers Military service is a great privilege and carries great responsibility—including a great responsibility to the American people, so we strive to reach out and connect with the public and tell them about our mission and our Soldiers. One way we do that is through the media. Soldiers are encouraged to speak with the media, mission permitting, and in the proper, professional, and honest way. Here’s some guidelines.

‐ Maintain operations security (OPSEC) ‐ Be courteous and professional ‐ Check ID and press credentials. If proper credentials are not produced, refer them to your chain of command or your battalion unit public affairs representative ‐ You are authorized/encouraged to speak to credentialed media, mission permitting ‐ Any media on base must have an escort ‐ Know your rights: You don’t have to be interviewed or answer all questions. You may end the interview at any time ‐ Inform chain of command and PAO after any media encounter, including a summary of topics discussed, questions/answers, name of reporter and agency, and when it will print/broadcast

DON’T discuss or release information on: ‐ Specific dates/times, numbers of troops, equipment, critical supplies, or casualties ‐ Future or ongoing operations or projects including any postponed or cancelled ‐ Security precautions on base/outposts ‐ Details/imagery of base layout/security ‐ Intel collection / ISR activities and TTPs ‐ Special Ops units and activities ‐ COMSEC / electronic countermeasures ‐ Enemy TTPs and effectiveness, including targeting, direct/indirect fire, and IEDs ‐ Specific ROE or Escalation of Force ‐ Ongoing search and rescue operations ‐ Any vital to troop safety / OPSEC *Off limits to media: Classified environments (TOCs, CPs, etc.), documents (orders, maps, reports, etc.), and displays (FBCB2, BFT, etc.)

‐ Be yourself. Be open, honest, and courteous ‐ Look professional. Be in the proper uniform ‐ Understand our mission and our message ‐ Think before you answer. Take your time ‐ Tell the truth. Never lie or intentionally mislead ‐ Stay in your lane, and speak at your level. Discuss only what you personally know about and are responsible for. Don’t speak for others. Use “I” not “we” when stating an opinion ‐ Don’t comment on higher‐level national policy ‐ Don’t speculate or answer ‘what if’ questions ‐ No jargon, acronyms, slang or technical terms ‐ Keep remarks brief, clear and concise ‐ Everything you say is “on the record.” If you don’t want it in the news, don’t say it or do it ‐ If you don’t know the answer to a question or can’t discuss it, say so. Don’t say “no comment” ‐ Inform chain of command and PAO afterward

Media Rules of Engagement OPSEC Guidelines Advice for Media Interviews


There’s help when you need it…

Crisis Intervention Hotline Warriors: Need someone to talk to, or have a buddy here who needs help? The Crisis Intervention Hotline is staffed 24/7. If you need to talk to a counselor, you can reach them from any NIPR phone by dialing 1‐1‐1. You can also reach Crisis Counselors by Afghan Local National Phone by dialing 070‐113‐2000, (wait for tone) then 1‐1‐1. Also reach Crisis Counselors by NIPR email at [email protected].

Remember, you aren't alone! Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Kimberly Hackbarth, 4th SBCT., 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs

JTF Sapper JTF Sapper Crossword Crossword Challenge!Challenge!

About this Photo: U.S. Soldiers with the 59th Mobile Augmentation Company on patrol in eastern Afghanistan Oct. 14th. (Photo by 1st Lt. Laura Beth Beebe)

DOWN 1. TF Saw transferred authority to TF__ 2. ANA Coy, 2nd Bn., 205th CEK partners 4. Where NMCB28 built MWD training area 7. You __ have to be interviewed by media 8. Joint Task Force __ 9. 49th __ Dog Detachment

ACROSS 3. J7 surveyed area to design drainage solution 4. 203rd Corps Eng. __ (battalion) 5. Brigade Commander 6. Seabees made fuel blocks using pa‐per, water & __ 10. Where 850th Hz. Co. is from 11. TEB before Triple Nickel

HINT: EACH ANSWERHINT: EACH ANSWER

CAN BE FOUND INSIDECAN BE FOUND INSIDE

THIS NEWSLETTERTHIS NEWSLETTER


Around the Sapper AO This past month

they had left in life: their relation‐

ship with God and their relation‐

ship with each other. As the Epis‐

copalian Priest finished his sermon

and prepared the congregation to

receive Holy Communion, an Afri‐

can‐American male and former

slave strode purposefully up to the

altar before everyone else, bowed

to the priest and knelt at the altar.

The congregation members

were outraged! Who did this for‐

mer slave think he was? Didn’t he

understand that the white congre‐

gation members went first, and he

went last? The priest stood frozen

on the other side of the commun‐

ion rail, not knowing what he

should do next.

Finally an old man in a tat‐

tered gray suit stood up, ap‐

proached the altar and knelt be‐

side the former slave. The priest

Greetings to all family mem‐

bers and friends of the 130th Engi‐

neer Brigade from

Bagram Airfield,

Afghanistan. Every

other week I re‐

ceive the opportu‐

nity to share a

“word of the day” with all of our

JTF Sapper staff and Task Force

Commanders. Recently I chose the

word “reconciliation,” and I used

the following story to demonstrate

the healing, restorative power of

this mighty word.

At the end of the American

Civil War a group of southerners

gathered at the local Episcopal

church in Richmond, Virginia—the

former capital of the Confederacy.

A dejected, demoralized and de‐

feated people assembled at their

church to cling to the two things

Chaplain’s Closing, Maj. John Sedwick

“Reconciliation”

Southwest Afghanistan—Staff Sgt. Carlos Turcios, 541st Eng. Co., earns the Bronze Star Medal for service in Operation Enduring Freedom. The 541st Sappers are scheduled to head home to Bamberg, Germany soon

Eastern Afghanistan – Spc. Calhoun, 149th Vertical Eng. Co., cuts roofing material for a project on FOB Lightning Oct. 15th, while a CBS Evening News Correspondent takes video clips

Northern Afghanistan – Soldiers with the 55th MAC prepare for a patrol Oct. 4th.

Bagram Airfield – Spc. Jeffrey Loar & dog, Gauge, from the 49th Mine Dog Detach‐ment conduct detection training

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. William Thomson

immediately distributed commun‐

ion to both men, and then the

congregation followed suit by

reverently approaching the altar

and receiving what many Chris‐

tians recognize as the Sacrament

of Holy Communion.

That man in the tattered

gray suit was Robert E. Lee, the

former Commanding General of

the Confederate Army. On this

particular Sunday General Lee

assumed a new and far more im‐

portant role as a servant leader:

he became a minister of recon‐

ciliation. His simple act of kneeling

next to the former slave demon‐

strated to his southern brothers

and sisters that they needed to

reconcile with their former ene‐

mies in the north and with the

African‐Americans they had very

recently considered and treated as

their property.

Whether you are a Christian

or not I encourage you to embrace

your role as a minister of recon‐

ciliation—in your home and in

your workplace. Throughout this

deployment it is inevitable that

Soldiers and spouses will some‐

times lash out at one another,

saying hurtful things to each other

without meaning to do so. I en‐

courage you to forgive one an‐

other, to apologize, to reconcile.

As Dr. Gary Chapman, the

author of the Five Love Languages,

remarks, “Forgiveness is not a

feeling; it’s a commitment.” I ask

you then to behave as a servant

leader; to be the bigger person; to

apologize and to ask for forgive‐

ness; if your spouse, family mem‐

ber or friend apologizes to you

then accept it, reconcile with one

another.

Until next month, may God

richly bless you and your family as

we continue to face the challenges

of this deployment head on!

Sappers In!

By U.S. Army 1st Lt. Laura Beth Beebe

Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Laura Beth Beebe

Southern Afghanistan—Seabees from NMCB28 make fuel blocks from shredded paper, sawdust and water to be distributed to the local populace as a safer source of heating and cooking.

Photo by U.S. Navy MC1 John Banfield Photo by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Laura Beth Beebe

Facebook.com/TheaterEngineerBrigade

Our Mission: Deploy in support of the International Security Assistance Force and, at the invitation of the Government of Afghanistan, provide theater engineer support to include development of the Afghan National Army engineer force, ISAF troop construction, and route

clearance, to help build a pathway to peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan.

Questions or comments? Email 1st Lt. Laura Beth Beebe

Public Affairs Officer [email protected]

Download - ANA K 9 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 Sapper Sentinel · the west, to Shank ENGINEERin the east, our engineer teams are working hard, solving problems, taking care of their Soldiers, Sailors and

Top Related