Civil affairs battalion takes part in projects in three countries

By Lt. Col. Jefferson Wolfe, 7th Civil Support Command Public Affairs OfficerAugust 28, 2015

Civil affairs battalion takes part in projects in three countries
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Civil affairs battalion takes part in projects in three countries
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany (Aug. 27, 2015) -- U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers traveled to Bulgaria, Serbia and Georgia assisting military engineers to renovate schools and getting to know the local populations.

The 457th Civil Affairs, or CA, Battalion, a unit in the 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, sent 11 Reserve Soldiers in four teams there in August. Two full-time active Reserve Soldiers also participated.

The Soldiers conducted humanitarian civic assistance, or HCA, missions providing support to engineer teams from around the military, said Staff Sgt. Amelia Bayer, who is also a traditional Reserve Soldier on orders at the battalion headquarters in Grafenwoehr to help coordinate the short-fuse mission.

The 457th, a downtrace unit of the 7th Civil Support Command and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, had only about two-and-a-half weeks to get the entire mission together. The battalion worked with multiple subordinate units to find 11 Reserve Soldiers, who could take time away from their daily lives and jobs on very short notice.

"It was a series of miracles," she said of being able to put the mission together so quickly.

One of the keys to success was the help of a contract linguist coordinated by the Intelligence Program Support Office, G3, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, which helped the teams secure a linguist in less than a day, Bayer said.

"They've been incredibly helpful," she said, noting this year's combined efforts will help build relationships to facilitate future missions.

Throughout August, the teams conducted the HCA missions.

"The HCA event itself was originally designed to provide troop training opportunities to U.S. military engineers in order to enhance their readiness, but we were able to also train CA Soldiers by pairing efforts," Bayer said.

HCA is unique because it not only involves coordinating local projects, but also emphasizes engaging the local population to raise awareness of the United States' role in their communities, Bayer said.

Soldiers on HCA missions work directly on the projects while in uniform, she said. This is different than the unit's traditional humanitarian aid assistance role, which involves working with local contractors to complete community projects. In those cases, the local population may never see a U.S. Soldier in uniform.

The teams assisted the engineers on four HCA construction projects, two in Bulgaria and one each in Serbia and Georgia.

"Ideally, this type of mission is conducted through [the U.S. European Command, or EUCOM] State Partnership Program, where 22 National Guard states are partnered with different countries," Bayer said. "This is the first time that EUCOM has ever paired CA teams with engineer construction teams, with the idea being that the CA teams would enhance the value of the project by informing community leadership about the construction as it is ongoing, as well as address any issues that may come up during the course of the project. This pilot initiative was widely successful. "

All teams were involved in school renovation projects.

In Bulgaria, the CA team partnered with Bulgarian State Partners, the U.S. Army Reserve's 412th Theater Engineer Command's 390th Engineer Co., from Chattanooga, Tenn. The schools included a preschool and a Kindergarten.

"My goal was to shoulder tasks that would otherwise take away from their ability to focus on their two projects: rebuilding a roof for a kindergarten [in] Veliko Turnovo and renovation work at a daycare/kindergarten in Tserova Koria," said Maj. Bradley Shelton, officer in charge of the 457th's Bulgaria team.

One of the first things the project needed was local interpreter support, he said.

"My team actively searched for volunteers from the local community to support both the engineer and CA efforts by engaging the local university, searching social media and through day-to-day contacts with people who speak English," Shelton said.

The team found the answer in the hotel, where the engineers were staying. The owner's daughter volunteered her time to support both missions. Her skill allowed team members to focus our effort away from searching for an interpreter to engaging local key leaders, he said.

The Bulgarian soldiers volunteered on one of their days off to help clean the playground, paint the equipment, chop wood and perform other general grounds maintenance tasks, he said.

The team in Veliko Turnovo participated in a plaque ceremony at the renovated kindergarten. Local children, teachers and citizens were able to walk through the school and see the completed work.

"The engineer soldiers hosted a dinner with the Bulgarian military company and overall the military-to-military relationship was outstanding," he said. During the event, which was covered by local media, traditional bread and salt was handed out, and a local girl's dance team conducted a routine for the audience.

In Georgia, the Georgia National Guard Engineers from the United States worked with the Georgian military to complete the renovation of a school in Gori. The Georgia National Guard is a state partner with the country of Georgia.

The team saw a large community involvement with the renovation efforts, as many local men, women and children helped, too, Bayer said.

The Georgia team helped facilitate a town hall meeting of about 100 local citizens, including parents and students, to discuss the progress. It also helped to improve communications between U.S. Embassy, the country team, school officials and community leaders.

The team also helped to involve local men, women and children too by inviting them to participate in the painting of the school's interior.

The Serbia team assisted the Redhorse Squadron, of the Ohio Air National Guard, in the renovation of a school gymnasium.

They also participated in the American Corners program, visiting several cities to help raise awareness about the work the United States is doing in the country. The team took part in the 10th anniversary ceremony for the program in the city of Bujanovac.

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Michael D. Kirby, other embassy officials, the local mayor, American Corners representatives and members of the community attended the event.

Team members also coordinated with the town's television station for interviews and local coverage of their efforts at the school.

"Every mission was different, Bayer said. "Each team needed something different, and hopefully, that lays the groundwork for the future."

The brigade hopes to continue to build relationships with the engineers and the embassy teams in the three countries to continue HCA missions in the coming years, she said.

The Bulgaria teams found the local leaders very receptive to future projects.

"We were warmly received by everyone we engaged about potential projects in their area, with the local and regional mayors often personally showing us project sites," Shelton stated. "Word has gotten around that U.S. forces do a good job and want to help local communities, so leaders are accepting and even encourage U.S. military presence in their towns for HCA projects despite the political and local sensitivities towards foreign military."

It remains essential to select the right projects and to work with the local officials to complete the project correctly, he said.

"The key to successful projects with long-term implications is more in the selection of the right project that they want, more so than what works best for us," Shelton said. "Successful projects are well maintained and even expanded upon by the local government, and the people, who were directly impacted by the project are grateful and remember that it was U.S. military that did it."

It remains essential to select the right projects and to work with the local officials to complete the project correctly, he said.

"The key to successful projects with long-term implications is more in the selection of the right project that they want, more so than what works best for us, Shelton said. "Successful projects are well maintained and even expanded upon by the local government, and the people who were directly impacted by the project are grateful and remember that it was U.S. military that did it."

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