Afghanistan: Kentucky's Agribusiness Development Team 4 builds improves living conditions

By Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Paul Evans

Kentucky National Guard

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan (7/18/12) - As part of their efforts to help improve the lives of local farmers through education, Soldiers with Kentucky’s Agribusiness Development Team 4 have taken up a secondary project: improving their own environment.

In the process, ADT 4 is also building a foundation to help ADT 5 function more effectively when they arrive at the end of 2012.

“They’re [ADT 5] going to have it made. With the three buildings that we have in mind right now, it’s going to be a huge boost for them because they’re not going to be so spread out,” said Army Master Sgt. John Black, “Everything’s going to be in close proximity and everybody [will] be working pretty much side-by-side… not like us, all spread out everywhere.”

Black, who is leading ADT 4’s construction crew, has served in the Kentucky Army National Guard for nearly 28 years. He spent 27 of those years working as a technician in Frankfort, Ky. while working as a general contractor on the side, building houses and rental properties.

 Recalling his early years of building things, Black said everything he learned has been self-taught.

“After a couple years, I just started doing contract work on my own,” he said. “I built my own house. Then once I built my first house, I just got the bug and started building [more often].”

Balancing construction and military life wasn’t always easy, he remarked.

“Long days and very short nights,” he said.

“Working with wood, it’s pretty relaxing to me. You just kind of take all that other stuff, put it off to the side,” Black said. “It just gives me something to do and reminds me of home.”

According to Black, gathering materials for ADT 4 construction projects has been met with a few challenges thus far, but assistance has been provided by U.S. Navy Seabees and others.

 Black has even received help from other Kentucky Guard members, some of which are first-time ‘carpenters.’

“I have never done construction before in my life, so it’s a pretty awesome experience,” said Spc. Courtney Stewart, a member of the Kentucky Guard’s 1163rd Medical Company.

“I learned how to build a roof. I’ve never done that before in my life,” Stewart said. “I learned how to frame in doors and how to read a tape measure – I’ve never been able to do that before.”

 “The guys that are involved with it, my team, they love it,” Black said. “They’re staying busy, time’s going by quick for them; they’re loving every minute of it.”

 “My favorite part is probably everybody joking on one another. It’s pretty fun,” Stewart said. “I’m in a guy’s world here, so it’s fun to crack up once in a while.”

Black said he plans on building multiple offices to help ADT 4 and ADT 5 function more effectively, as well as some solid buildings for housing to replace tents.

“It’ll be pretty nice from what the colonel [is] wanting,” Black said. “He wants it all laid out for the [agriculture team]. When it’s completed and it looks good, you can walk away from it knowing it isn’t going to blow down.”

 “I think it’ll definitely be good for ADT 5 whenever they get over here because they’ll be able to use it however they need to and it’ll already be here,” Stewart said.