Servicemembers help reconnect Afghan, government

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ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  Coalition forces are lending a helping hand through provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan in an attempt to rebuild the government's relationship with its people. 

"(The purpose is) to give hope and a means for a better future to people recovering from war and oppression under a totalitarian regime," said Lt. Col. Andy Veres, the Provincial Reconstruction Team-Zabul commander from Melbourne, Fla. 

PRT-Zabul is located in the heart of Qalat City. A provincial reconstruction team is a civil and military organization, brings reconstruction, development, governance and security to the province. Representatives from the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development work with a provincial reconstruction team to help the Afghans live in a free and democratic country. They work hand and hand with Mohommad Ashraf Naseri, the Zabul province governor, and his staff to improve the lifestyle of the Afghan people throughout the province. 

"We (the PRT) try to build the government infrastructure in a small community from the smallest element and up," said Army 1st Sgt. Conrad Gamez, the PRT-Zabul senior enlisted member. 

The PRT-Zabul has more than 20 ongoing projects all through the province. The team works on projects that include everything from building community centers, schools and roads to providing agricultural training. Local unskilled laborers also have the opportunity to attend mechanic, welding or nursing training at the PRT. The nursing program is a yearlong course. 

Each course provides Afghans with marketable skills, said Capt. Rick Vermillion, a PRT-Zabul civil engineer from Fillmore, Calif. All the provincial reconstruction team's efforts are focused on meeting the governor's priorities outlined in the provincial development plan. 

"The main thing we are trying to do is boost their economy," Captain Vermillion said. "If we are hiring a local Afghan, he is putting money into his home to feed his family." 

An economy is based on the production, exchange, distribution and consumption in an area. The team tries to improve the economy by providing and creating jobs for Afghans. For example, local contractors place bids on construction projects much like how contractors operate in the U.S. A provincial reconstruction team selects contractors based on past performance, capabilities and quality for the best price. 

"We are the construction firm," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Field, a PRT-Zabul infrastructure craftsman from Bellfast, Maine. "If a large company wanted to build a skyscraper in New York City, we will be the guys to talk to (in order to) build on budget and on time." 

A provincial reconstruction team extends its arms in every facet of the provincial government to include the ministry of public health. The team has provided advice and assistance with matters dealing with the health of Zabul's population. A provincial reconstruction team helped to refurbish the provincial hospital and establish programs to improve the locals' lifestyle. Smart Food, a program for malnourished children, and Clean Water, a process to provide Afghan families chlorine to kill bacteria and parasites in local water, help reconnect the people with their healthcare system, said Staff Sgt. Paul Herrera-Ramirez, a PRT-Zabul aerospace medical technician. 

"We have a great conglomerate of the right people to help make the government self-sufficient," Sergeant Gamez said. 

A provincial reconstruction team is a joint effort between military services. The team is comprised of Airmen, Soldiers, Guard members and reservists with specialties ranging from infantrymen to civil affairs. All have a sense of achievement and do a job with a level of importance that they may otherwise never do in their life, according to Veres. PRT-Zabul is only one of two U.S.-led teams. The other PRT is located in Farah. 

"They have a chance to rebuild a country, renew a way of life and allow a society to fly out from the ashes of 50-plus years of war," Colonel Veres said. 

PRT-Zabul has been working with the provincial government since December 2004. Over the years, the team has built upon lesson from the past to help further development in the Zabul province.