Air Force engineers from the 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron are supporting Bastogne Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry near Hawijah, Iraq, by increasing the quality of living on forward operating base McHenry.

“It’s a mission worth supporting,” said 2nd Lt. Tim Brodman, the officer in charge of the Red Horse detachment. “Working with the people here has been tremendous.”

Air Force engineers arrived at the small FOB in January, and have been working nonstop since.

After completing a new medical aid station, three sea huts (wooden multipurpose buildings), a military dog training course, new containerized housing units, and a modified post exchange, the Airmen said their list of projects is drawing to a close.

“Our team started out at 23 (people),” Lieutenant Brodman said. “Since the last of our projects are almost complete we are gradually sending Airmen back to Mosul.”

With only 15 Airmen still working on the FOB, the work they are accomplishing is still top of the line.

“(The new aid station) is really nice, and we will be able to treat more patients,” said Army Capt. Mark Demuth, battalion surgeon at FOB McHenry. “It was all a team effort to develop and design the aid station.”

The engineers’ accomplishments run throughout the FOB, affecting all of the Soldiers.

“You can see the change in the Soldiers' attitudes because of the work we are doing here,” said Staff Sgt. Delbert Johnson. “You definitely notice a confidence boost.”

Although the unit started out with a specific list of projects, they have been more than willing to support the infantrymen of FOB McHenry in any way they can.

With the rain falling constantly over a four-week span, the ground in one section of CHUs was flooded. Noticing the problem, the engineers dug a long trench leading into a large “Olympic swimming pool” hole. Within hours all of the water was drained.

“When Soldiers stepped out of their door they were walking through about six inches of water,” Lieutenant Brodman said. “We had the equipment and time to fix the problem, so we did. That was definitely one of the most rewarding projects we have accomplished here.”

The Airmen may have come to FOB McHenry supporting the Army’s mission, but the Soldiers of the battalion have done their best to support the engineers in return.

According to Lieutenant Brodman, there have been numerous times when they did not have enough material to accomplish a task and the battalion staff used a variety of channels to obtain the needed supplies.

No matter how small or large the projects, the Air Force engineers said they are proud to be supporting the Bastogne Soldiers of 1st Battalion, and enjoy the atmosphere on the FOB as well.

“I love it here,” Sergeant Johnson said. “I have a better sense of pride about the work we are doing here.”