Shaffer
07-25-05, 10:21 AM
More than 20 Marines deployed with Engineer Support Company (Reinforced), 9th Engineer Support Battalion reconstructed a 1,000-foot portion of Sapang Uno Road as part of the Engineer Civic Assistance Project which took place June 27 to July 8.
The ENCAP was a humanitarian project and engineer training exercise held in coordination with Philippine Interoperability Exercise 2005.
After surveying the existing dirt road upon which construction of a gravel road would be based, Marines repaired and emplaced drainable culverts on the sides of the road, according to Gunnery Sgt. Stephen J. Dube, engineering operations chief of the ENCAP from Engineer Maintenance Company, 3rd Material Regiments Battalion.
“The existing culverts were silted in and wouldn’t allow water to drain,” said Dube, a native of Murphy, N.C. “The road would collect all of the water and flood roadside houses any time it rained. For a heavily used road that connects two villages and is the only passageway for the residents of both villages to commute from each other, it was a major inconvenience and hurt the villages’ accessibility and economy during the rain season.”
The Marines dug into the entrance of the culverts manually using long bamboo sticks then blasted the culverts with fire hoses to clear them out. Dube explained that using hydrology as an aid in construction was new to many of the Marines working on the project, but worked out very well and was a beneficial learning experience.
“The ENCAP allows Marines to perform a more deliberate engineering project and allows them to hone their skills in a relatively safe environment,” Dube said. “It also develops community relations between the U.S. and the Philippines. That means more than any dollar amount we could have given them because it shows we’re willing to get our hands dirty to help them prosper.”
The project provided a chance for Marines to apply their occupational skills to a good cause, explained Lance Cpl. Bradley Beck, a heavy equipment operator with Combat Service Support Group 3, 3rd Force Service Support Group in Hawaii.
“It definitely makes me feel good to know I’m making a nice road for them to travel on and make their lives more convenient,” said Beck, a native of Temple, TX. “The road project is a way for us to do something that directly affects the local community in a positive way.”
Beck explained that locals who reside in the houses adjacent to the road are very appreciative of the efforts put forth by the Marines.
“We keep in contact,” Beck said. “They’re really nice people. They tell us we’re doing a really good job out here and they thank us all the time. Speaking directly with the people we’re helping gives me a real sense of pride and that more than makes up for all water I’m sweating out here.”
Philippine Interoperability Exercise 2005 is an exercise aimed at improving interoperability between U.S. and Philippine Marines and maintaining relations with the Philippines and is taking place from July 1-18.
The ENCAP was a humanitarian project and engineer training exercise held in coordination with Philippine Interoperability Exercise 2005.
After surveying the existing dirt road upon which construction of a gravel road would be based, Marines repaired and emplaced drainable culverts on the sides of the road, according to Gunnery Sgt. Stephen J. Dube, engineering operations chief of the ENCAP from Engineer Maintenance Company, 3rd Material Regiments Battalion.
“The existing culverts were silted in and wouldn’t allow water to drain,” said Dube, a native of Murphy, N.C. “The road would collect all of the water and flood roadside houses any time it rained. For a heavily used road that connects two villages and is the only passageway for the residents of both villages to commute from each other, it was a major inconvenience and hurt the villages’ accessibility and economy during the rain season.”
The Marines dug into the entrance of the culverts manually using long bamboo sticks then blasted the culverts with fire hoses to clear them out. Dube explained that using hydrology as an aid in construction was new to many of the Marines working on the project, but worked out very well and was a beneficial learning experience.
“The ENCAP allows Marines to perform a more deliberate engineering project and allows them to hone their skills in a relatively safe environment,” Dube said. “It also develops community relations between the U.S. and the Philippines. That means more than any dollar amount we could have given them because it shows we’re willing to get our hands dirty to help them prosper.”
The project provided a chance for Marines to apply their occupational skills to a good cause, explained Lance Cpl. Bradley Beck, a heavy equipment operator with Combat Service Support Group 3, 3rd Force Service Support Group in Hawaii.
“It definitely makes me feel good to know I’m making a nice road for them to travel on and make their lives more convenient,” said Beck, a native of Temple, TX. “The road project is a way for us to do something that directly affects the local community in a positive way.”
Beck explained that locals who reside in the houses adjacent to the road are very appreciative of the efforts put forth by the Marines.
“We keep in contact,” Beck said. “They’re really nice people. They tell us we’re doing a really good job out here and they thank us all the time. Speaking directly with the people we’re helping gives me a real sense of pride and that more than makes up for all water I’m sweating out here.”
Philippine Interoperability Exercise 2005 is an exercise aimed at improving interoperability between U.S. and Philippine Marines and maintaining relations with the Philippines and is taking place from July 1-18.