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

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 27, 2012

Afghanistan: Texas Guard member shows Afghans "sweet" business opportunity

By Army 1st Lt. Adam Carrington Task Force Mad Dog

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Soldiers of Task Force Mad Dog - headed up by the California Army National Guard's 578th Engineer Battalion and made up of a variety of Army National Guard engineer units - recently completed a major construction project building eight bases here.

The project also saw the Guard members working alongside partnered units from the Afghan National Army.

"When we were tasked with this build, I was initially worried about how we were going to maintain our partnership operations," said Army 1st Lt. Joe Lee, TF Mad Dog ANA coordinator.

"Then we realized that this was a perfect training opportunity to co-locate and partner with an ANA engineer unit at a priority build site," he said.

partnering with the ANA, it meant not only additional training for the ANA engineer soldiers but also that critical construction deadlines could be met.

"The ANA are a real force multiplier for us," said Army Capt. Robert Rogers, with the 1022nd Vertical Construction Company, part of TF Mad Dog. "There have been several occasions that we would have been dead in the water without their support."

Many engineer partnerships had been centered on pairing up Afghan engineer units with route clearance companies. For many of the ANA engineers this was among the first projects where they were used in their capacity as construction engineers as the Afghan engineers were often used in more traditional infantry related roles.

A platoon from the ANA's 3rd Brigade worked with the 1022ndVCC and began the mission focusing primarily on maintenance and ensuring the correct parts and supplies were available.

The ANA engineer unit soon took on their first full construction mission: building a vehicle fighting position. The ANA engineers also provided equipment critical to completing other missions. While building a concrete pad for a large tent, the engineers of the 1022nd VCC encountered drainage issues. The ANA soldiers were able to step in and fix the issue.

"Watching that ANA soldier operate that [hydraulic excavator] was like watching a perfectly choreographed dance," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Flatmoe, a platoon sergeant with the 842nd Horizontal Engineer Company, attached to the 1022nd VCC. "It was smooth, with no mistakes, and perfectly executed... It was an amazing thing to watch."

Because many of the construction projects were conducted throughout the winter, at times construction halted due to weather concerns. During that downtime, the Guard members and ANA soldiers trained together on common soldier skills, such as calling in a medical evacuation request.

"I have gotten good experience," said ANA Lt. Shafi. "Like today they taught us about how to call for medevac, and they teach us a lot."

And that combined effort ensured mission success.

"The ANA engineer soldiers and their equipment have really kept this build going on so many occasions," Rogers said. "When we fell behind because of new construction requirements, the ANA have consistently been there to help us catch up. When a key piece of equipment breaks down, the ANA have theirs ready to continue the mission."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...