CE commander shares vice president’s kudos

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kristin C. Mack
  • 301st Fighter Wing
NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas --  “We are proud to count Afghanistan as a free country, a fellow democracy, and a friend of the United States of America,” said Vice President Dick Cheney Dec. 19. He spoke to the troops at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, following his appointment to witness the first assembly in the Afghan parliament; a country that was oppressed and under heavy Taliban rule.
     Vice President Cheney acknowledged the one-year anniversary of the first democratically-elected president in Afghanistan and addressed the milestones made from the efforts of our brave service members and friendly allies… “America and our superb coalition partners acted with speed and precision—bringing down the Taliban, capturing or killing hundreds of Al Qaeda, and liberating 25 million people from tyranny.”
     He singled out the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, commanded by Lt. Col. Stephen Becker, deployed 301st Civil Engineer Squadron commander, for their outstanding job in maintaining the busiest runway in Afghanistan.
     Colonel Becker began command Sept. 8 of the 455th ECES, a 67-troop strong unit composed of active-duty personnel from 12 different bases throughout the United States, Europe and Guam. Their specialties included firefighting, engineering, explosive ordnance disposal, heavy equipment operations and armed escorts to monitor the contractors.
     “One of the greatest challenges was coordinating with 15 other joint coalition engineering organizations to ensure we were not competing against one another for the scarce resources,” said Colonel Becker.
     Even with 20 percent of their unit being forward deployed to support missions throughout Afghanistan, this unit still managed to complete 42 airfield construction projects within the last four months.
     Their largest and most visible project was the Bagram runway, which required ongoing repair due to excess use, age and weather. A nine-man repair team spent at least three hours every day repairing shallow breaks in the concrete. These critical “spall” repairs kept the loose debris from damaging aircraft engines and tires. It’s estimated this structure supported around 3,000 vital combat and humanitarian operations each week, giving it the title of the “busiest runway in Afghanistan.”
     Other major projects completed in the past four months include: contributing to the Pakistan earthquake relief efforts; installation of a new aircraft arresting system resulting in 12 successful engagements of fighter aircraft; sealing 80,000 linear feet of cracks and joints on the airfield; the removal of 60,000 square meters of rubber on the runway to prevent slippery surfaces; and preparing for multiple dignitary visits — including the vice president of the United States, the secretary of the Air Force and the secretary of defense.                                                                                                                                            
     With this much activity occurring in such a volatile area there were considerable risks involved.
     “The area was extremely dangerous because there was no guarantee we wouldn’t hit a landmine while digging to build new ramps and taxiways,” Colonel Becker added.
     During his tour, there were three contractors who lost limbs while trying to clear areas for construction projects; none of the injured personnel belonged to the 455th ECES. However, the previous commander was airlifted to Germany for treatment of an injury from an anti-personnel mine just before Colonel Becker’s arrival.
     “The EOD teams were in constant danger with each mission they conducted outside the wire,” said Colonel Becker. “During these last few months they have successfully conducted more than 200 missions and destroyed more than 7,000 enemy munitions.”
     There were also some close calls when members from the fire department were attacked during two separate deployments. Fortunately, only their tent and side of their fire truck was damaged by shrapnel during one of the attacks.
     “There is nothing that prepares a commander for the helplessness he feels when his fire department calls him on a satellite phone requesting close air support shortly after they have survived a rocket attack,” Colonel Becker solemnly recalled.
     With all of the work to be accomplished there wasn’t a whole lot of time to sleep or play.
     “The position required you to focus on the job 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week,” Colonel Becker said. “There was no downtime. There’s too much going on with coordinating airfield construction and running the day-to-day operations of a squadron — I worked on problems and issues right up to the time I got on the plane to head home.”
     The colonel departed for home around the middle of January and can now appreciate the many contributions made by himself and his comrades toward the nation that continues its quest for freedom and independence.
     “It has been an honor to be the commander of an active-duty squadron complete with EOD and fire department teams,” said Colonel Becker. “Despite all of the so-called hardships we have embraced into our daily routine, this deployment will be one I will cherish for the rest of my life. It’s the one where I used all of my training. It’s the one that I am able to point to as having made a difference in our fight against terrorism.”