| KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 3, 2005 -- | | | | Heavy (Fort Lewis, Wash.), Charlie Company C/ |
| One of the most encouraging successes of the | | | | 864th Engineer Combat Battalion Heavy (Fort |
| United States military presence in Afghanistan is the | | | | Richardson, Alaska), Alpha Company/391st Light |
| approaching completion of the TK Road, a road | | | | Engineer Battalion (U.S. Army Reserve, Ashville, N.C.), |
| bringing together the cities of Kandahar and Tarin | | | | Company C/926th Engineers (U.S. Army Reserve, |
| Kowt. Coalition forces have been dedicated to | | | | Huntsville, Ala.), and the 298th Engineer Detachment |
| connecting Afghanistan by road, a task that has | | | | (National Guard, Pearl City, Hawaii). |
| spanned 14 months and 117 kilometers. | | | | Task Force Pacemaker took over the construction in |
| "The best weapons of the Taliban are not | | | | April, and will have completed a remarkable 70 |
| (improvised explosive devices) and (rocket propelled | | | | kilometers of road work through some of the most |
| grenades) -- its ignorance and isolation." -U.S. Army Lt. | | | | difficult terrain the country has to offer. Initial |
| Col. Paul M. Paolozzi | | | | estimations put project completion somewhere in the |
| With elections on the horizon, extending | | | | spring of 2006, but efforts of the Pacemakers under |
| transportation routes into more rural areas of | | | | U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul M. Paolozzi, have moved the |
| Afghanistan will play an essential role in encouraging | | | | date to Sept. 15, just days prior to the new election |
| the democratic process. Election dates have been | | | | date. The Pacemakers consider that achievement a |
| pushed back twice due at least in part to the | | | | victory in the war on terror. |
| logistical difficulties of coordinating between provinces. | | | | "The best weapons of the Taliban are not IEDs |
| Success in road construction here means not only | | | | (improvised explosive devices) and RPGs (rocket |
| making day to day life easier for the citizens; it | | | | propelled grenades) -- its ignorance and isolation," said |
| facilitates the success of the first democratically | | | | Paolozzi. "The road we're building destroys both of |
| elected government in Afghanistan. | | | | those weapons by giving the people freedom of |
| The work on the TK road has been the focus of | | | | mobility and the capability to learn what the Afghani |
| two different U.S. Army engineer rotations. Road | | | | government is doing for them. They won't need to |
| construction began during Operation Enduring | | | | be dependant on the Taliban for information, twisted |
| Freedom 5 with the 528th Engineer Battalion, from | | | | thinking, or municipal support." |
| Louisiana. They competed 46.5 kilometers of road | | | | Continued development is essential to any |
| between July 2004 and February 2005. During | | | | post-electoral agenda for peace building in |
| Operation Enduring Freedom 6, Task Force | | | | Afghanistan. No matter the outcome of elections, the |
| Pacemaker engineers took over construction. | | | | extension of routes into rural Afghanistan provides |
| The Task Force is composed of active and reserve | | | | much potential in strengthening the new |
| units of Alpha and Headquarters and Support | | | | government's credibility. The completion of the road |
| Companies of the 864th Engineer Combat Battalion | | | | couldn't come at a better time. |