Indonesian, U.S. team keeps water flowing for village

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Russell Dodson
  • 13th Air Force Public Affairs
NAIONI, Indonesia (AFNS) --  Air Force civil engineers joined Indonesian military members and civilians to provide water to a rural Indonesian village here July 17.

The Airmen, here as part of Operation Pacific Angel 2009, worked alongside Indonesian counterparts to install a water pump and more than 900 feet of water distribution lines leading to a storage tank.

Pacific Angel is a joint and combined humanitarian and civic assistance program conducted annually in the Asia-Pacific region by the United States and other area nations. Two Pacific Angel events are currently on-going through July 24 -- one here and another in Timor Leste.

Before they could begin work on the water distribution system, the U.S. and Indonesian team had to receive permission from a tribal leader to start the project.

Master Sgt. Billy Killen, deployed here from the 15th Civil Engineer Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, said setting up the many contracts needed and ordering required parts, all in another country, has been both challenging and rewarding.

His fellow squadron member, Senior Airman Henry Benitez, said the work done for the village will have a lasting effect.

"It feels good knowing what we have accomplished will improve the quality of life here for years to come," Airman Benitez said.

Pacific Angel is a Pacific Air Forces operation led by 13th Air Force at Hickam AFB.