Air Guard engineers assist Navajo Nation

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jerry Bynum
  • National Guard Bureau
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AFNS) --  Two Air National Guard civil engineering units began renovation and construction work May 16 here at St. Michaels Association for Special Education.

Members of the Virginia Air Guard's 203rd Red Horse Squadron and the Colorado Air Guard's 240th Civil Engineer Flight are repairing buildings, developing and renovating culverts, upgrading electrical systems, and constructing new buildings.

Their work is part of the National Guard's Innovative Readiness Training program, a civil-military affairs program linking military units with civilian communities for humanitarian projects.

The SMASE campus serves as a school and home for about 80 Navajo children and young adults with severe debilitating conditions. It is the only certified special education school on the Navajo Reservation and continues to draw students from Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.

"The continuous growth of the student population coupled with the increase of students identified with severe disabilities and health issues put a serious strain on our aging facilities," said Gillis Chapela, the SMASE executive director, adding that the IRT mission is the answer to SMASE's infrastructure needs.

The IRT program benefits both the members of the ANG and the community. The ANG receives much-needed on-the-job training, which ensures their readiness for local or overseas missions.

This arrangement involves support from the ANG IRT teams who provide design support, labor, and equipment, while SMASE provides the materials for the infrastructure projects.

"The best IRT marriage is when it satisfies several different (mission essential task lists) requirements and has the secondary benefit to impact the community that we serve," said Master Sgt. Charles Stoyer, an IRT project coordinator from the ANG Readiness Center and Joint Base Andrews. "When I took a look at this project at St. Michaels, I said this was a no-brainer; this is a perfect fit for our long-term training venue for our ANG civil engineers."

The SMASE project came to fruition after the school contacted Department of Defense and National Guard Bureau officials, requesting assistance through the IRT program. Overall, the five-year project includes renovations on the campus, the construction of a new nurse's station, additional classrooms, an adult recreation center, a community center and a transportation building for their school buses.

These projects would not be able to be completed without the help of the ANG IRT teams.

"We are helping people that truly can't help themselves in an area that has a depressed economy," Sergeant Stoyer said. "We are stimulating the local economy just by our presence here and also helping the customer. Everything we do here will certainly touch and improve their quality of life."

The IRT mission at SMASE will help the campus continue to play a vital role in the Navajo community, SMASE officials said. Without this educational campus and the special care it provides, many special-needs children and young adults of the Navajo Nation would not receive the education and treatment they require.

"By maintaining special education best practices and keeping a family and Navajo-centered environment, St. Michaels provides a home close to home for handicapped children and adults on the reservation, who otherwise would have to trek to Phoenix to get the level of education, therapy and medical care needed," Mr. Chapela said.