Department of Defense Expeditionary Civilian (DOD-EC) Jeffrey Olson was awarded the NATO Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal and Commander's Award for Civilian Service for his service to the Area Support Group Afghanistan mission at ASG-A's Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty in Jalalabad Oct. 11, 2018. The awards were presented by ASG Commander Col. Jacob Peterson.
Olson was assigned to ASG-A on a six-month deployment through the DOD-EC Program, which deploys personnel to support military operations. Before redeploying to the United States in October 2018, he served as an environmental engineer and contracting officer representative for Environmental Services on FOB Fenty.
He returns to his position as a regulatory supervisor with the St. Paul Corps of Engineers in Minnesota. A former U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran, Olson described his time in Afghanistan as a "great opportunity to work with a group of professional federal employees, and to not only make a difference in the lives of the troops and civilians working and living on base but also to help the local community."
He worked on contracts that served both the base and fostered employment opportunities for the surrounding town. Olson helped foster good relationships and trust with the local population when he assisted in developing a solution to supply water to local farmers.
The ASG-A provides base life support services for more than 35,000 personnel throughout the Combined Joint Operations Area Afghanistan.
Those personnel include U.S. military, DOD Civilians, Contractor and Coalition Forces contributing to the NATO-led Resolute Support Train, Advise and Assist Mission. ASG-A base life support services encompass everything from law enforcement and public works to billeting, food service and quality of life.
Social Sharing