1st Bn., 32nd Inf. helps community through Nawabad road project

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (February 24, 2009) — 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, under the direction of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, has arrived in northeastern Afghanistan and hit the ground running with a road project in Nawabad Village.

The work will be done along the bazaar area in the small village where drainage is poor and the road is full of potholes. The first phase will be digging out the ditch along the north side of the road, lying down stones and then pouring concrete.  The second phase will be improving the road by levelling it.

The unit received resources from a congressional program, which provided funding for a project to repair a ditch along the main road through the village and improve the road.

“Congress allocated $10,000 per project to promote community growth on a small-scale project level,” said Marine Lt. Col. Dan Yaroslaski, commander of the Embedded Tactical Trainer team for the 1st Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 201st Corps and a Lancaster, Calif., native.  Yaroslaski did the work to obtain the funding for the project before 1st Bn., 32nd Inf. arrived in Afghanistan and is now passing the project on to the new unit. 

The benefits of the project are bigger than just the physical improvements to the ditch and road.  The guidelines of the congressional program specify that all the workers on the project have to come from the community, providing jobs. Locals with the Young Men’s Association will also learn valuable skills for their future through the project.

“They pay an engineer to work with the Young Men’s Association to teach them how to do the construction so they not only get the work done, but their young men also learn a valuable skill,” Yaroslaski said.  “This allows the community to take an active role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, bringing stability and security to their own community.”

Nawabad Village is important to the region and is significant for military movement in the area. The bridge running through the village is the only one within an hour in either direction.

“It’s important for a number of reasons. It’s the only place to cross the Konar River,” said Army Lt. Col. Frederick O‘Donnell, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, commander.

The project is also important in introducing 1st Bn., 32nd Inf. to the locals in their area of operations, showing their commitment to helping.

“This project gives us a chance to put a 10th Mountain face out there and engage the population right away,” O’Donnell said.  “It really shows our support for the community, improves infrastructure and uses locals in doing so.”

The current project is not the end of the work in the area. The unit will continue to improve the village in the coming months.

“The first Commanders’ Emergency Response Program project we will be doing here is paving the road and putting in a parking lot in Nawabad,” O‘Donnell said.  “Currently the area gets congested because cars park in front of the stores. Without the cars parked along the road and by the intersection will have a smaller impact on the community when we come through the town with our vehicles.”