Building relationships one mile at a time

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chuck Roberts
  • Air Force Print News
DJIBOUTI --  The road between Djibouti City and Hol Hol has not gotten any shorter, but traversing this vital link between these two cities in the East African country of Djibouti is becoming much quicker and safer because of 823rd Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron Airmen.

The 22-mile rough and tumble road is the only connection Hol Hol has to the seaside capital of Djibouti for supplies and medical care. As many as 50 trucks loaded with relief supplies to be distributed by the World Food Program rumble past the Airmen each day. However, floodwaters descending from nearby mountains create havoc each year by washing out culverts and eroding sections of road while depositing boulder fields in their place.

But seven Airmen of the 35-person contingency from Hurlburt Field, Fla., have taken on the task of fighting back the effects of Mother Nature while gaining the respect of local Djiboutians. After recent completion of a 45-foot concrete bridge and a 400-foot concrete ford, local citizens dressed in colorful native garb have given big smiles and thumbs up to heavy equipment operators such as Airman 1st Class Thomas Schute.

“That’s kind of our reward,” said Airman Schute while taking a break from hauling a dump truck filled with material used to smooth out a rough section of dirt road that resembles Mars with its red earth and dark volcanic-looking stones. The stones are stacked by locals to build walls for small temporary huts along the roadway. More permanent dwellings alongside the roadway were not much more substantial.

Such efforts to improve and stabilize living conditions are one of the goals of Combined Joint Task Force -- Horn of Africa, to which Airman Schute is deployed for six months. A contingency of about 1,400 Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines have been here for about two years. They are assisting in combating terrorism to establish a secure environment and to enable regional stability, officials said. Or, as some prefer to say, they are winning hearts and minds by helping people help themselves, therefore reducing the opportunity for terrorists to gain a foothold.

The mission goal is as broad as the area of operations that includes Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Together, those nations are equivalent to almost 70 percent of the size of the United States and include 659 million people. About one-half of them live in extreme poverty, 3.3 million are refugees, 10 million are displaced and 26 million live with HIV.

Airman Schute and fellow road crew members have gotten a taste of the challenges faced by local Djiboutians, whose life expectancy is 50 and whose annual per capita income is about $450, according to State Department estimates.

When the Red Horse civil engineers arrived in August, Airmen on the road project soon began working 12-hour shifts, six days a week, under a blistering sun, with temperatures tipping 140 degrees. Just as they were nearing completion of the 400-foot ford, which is a portion of dirt road replaced by concrete to reduce the damage caused by flood waters, a flash flood suddenly took away 50 feet of wet concrete. Soon after, another flash flood swept away another 100 feet and weeks of work. Also during one of those encounters, a United Nations vehicle with three people became stranded in the rushing water, and Red Horse Airmen rescued them.

And because of the terrorist threat, Airman Schute must carry an M-16 rifle to work each day, as well as toil under the protection of a security detail consisting of infantry Soldiers deployed from Guam. They eat lunch, a meal ready to eat, beside the dirt road in the shade while others dine in the air conditioned dining facility at Camp Lemonier where the task force’s headquarters is. That does not bother the 22 year old from Preble, N.Y.

“I feel lucky to be here,” he said, explaining that humanitarian work is atypical work for Red Horse Airmen, who usually are devoted to base infrastructure at deployed locations. As a result, he has logged lots of time on equipment he does not routinely operate, and had the rare opportunity to build a bridge, he said.

He also said he feels fortunate to be part of a mission to counter terrorism by helping others. Besides the road project, Red Horse Airmen have built a clinic in Hurso, Ethiopia, and repaired a bridge and built a corral in Gode, Ethiopia. Overall, task force servicemembers have assisted in 27 school projects, 19 medical assistance visits, 18 veterinarian visits, 11 clinics and six hospitals, and have conducted bilateral training in areas such as border patrol.

At least on the road to Hol Hol, which should be completed by the time the Red Horse Airmen leave in February, the effort seems to be paying dividends. Airman Schute pondered whether their efforts would reap long-term benefits or soon be taken for granted.

“I don’t think (they will be taken for granted),” he said over the loud noise of bulldozer working nearby. “These people want their country to be free.”