Salerno sustained by Indiana Soldiers

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Indiana National Guard Soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division’s Task Force Cyclone ensure Forward Operating Base Salerno is taken care of and maintained properly on a daily basis.

Located in the Khowst province of eastern Afghanistan, Salerno is near the Pakistan border and is home to four different elements of the Indiana National Guard.

The 1-19th Indiana Agri-business Development Team, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, the 177th Finance Company and 38th Infantry Division’s Task Force Cyclone, who run base operations, reside at Salerno during their deployment. The commander for Salerno base operations, Lt. Col. Rodney Babb, says the work his team does surpasses the expectations of all who live on post.

“The performance of Task Force Cyclone servicemembers has been outstanding,” said Babb, an Indianapolis resident. “Their effort to go the extra mile surpasses the needs of our tenants and improves the quality of life support services at FOB Salerno.”

Two particular Soldiers, U.S. Army Spcs. David Lillian and Devin Blankenship, both Indianapolis residents, say their work is difficult, but worthwhile. They say the Soldiers coming and going on a day-to-day basis are the ones who benefit the most from their efforts.

“It boosts morale. You live in a house; you like to have your house clean. This is our house and we keep it clean,” Lillian said.

“I grew up in the country so I don’t like having mess and filth, and I’m sure nobody else does,” Blankenship said.

Each Soldier supervises a crew of 10-12 local nationals who perform a multitude of tasks each working day. The daily tasks for the locals range from filling sandbags and pulling weeds to preparing billeting and building projects.

The specialists both had high praise for the Afghan workers because of their good work ethic and how they engage in each job.

“They’re great. They don’t mess around. You show them something and they do it,” said Lillian. “I like these guys. Some of them have been around for five years now working on the FOB.”

On this particular day the crews were removing weeds and trash from around the base, which are mundane jobs, but crucial for the health of all that live in and around the area.

“The weeds are an issue because of the rodents. We have a lot of mice, rats, lizards and snakes here, especially in the summertime,” Blankenship said.

“There are all kinds of different diseases out here. We don’t want anything to help feed that.”

Blankenship said the province is a high-risk area for malaria adding, “We don’t want standing water and trash to feed the mosquitoes and we’re trying to come down on the malaria issue.”

As a direct result of the work done by the local nationals, Lillian said that units going out on assignment each day can keep their mind on their operations, rather than worrying about the FOB conditions.

“They can be focused on the mission and drive on, and when they come back inside from going outside the wire can be like, ‘Wow,’” said Lillian. “[It’s] something like home, just thousands of miles away.”