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U.S. Army Improving Lives in Cambodia and Vietnam
By Ms. Sharon Mulligan

Working with local construction and support contractors, U.S. Army, Pacific (USARPAC) engineers built a bridge in Cambodia and two wheelchair accessible schools in Vietnam. The three projects are part of USARPAC’s Humanitarian Assistance Missions under the U.S. Pacific Command’s Theater Security Cooperation Program. By helping to improve the lives of others, U.S. Army engineers help build and strengthen relationships that foster cooperation and may lead to further humanitarian missions.

USARPAC worked with the host countries to determine the requirements, needs, and site locations. The projects took many months and involved coordination with various United States and host government agencies. “We plan, design, provide quality assurance, and work with the host country to develop these projects. Once complete, we turn the projects over to the communities for their use,” said U.S. Army Maj. Robb Husbands.

Connecting Communities in Cambodia
For up to seven months a year, some communities in Pailin province in northwest Cambodia, about 300 kilometers from the capital of Phnom Penh, had difficulty accessing markets, medical facilities, and basic services. During the rainy season, the only means of crossing the swollen Phum Koi River was by foot on a small wooden pedestrian bridge or by traveling hours over rough roads to reach a place to cross in a vehicle.

This isolation changed when Cambodian construction and support contractors, working with U.S. Army engineers, built the concrete Phum Koi Bridge that connects Pailin and Battambang provinces. In addition to providing the communities with increased access, the bridge provides better access for demining operations in previously unreachable areas.

At the bridge dedication ceremony, U.S. Ambassador Charles A. Ray said, “The Phum Koi Bridge is but one example of the critical importance of infrastructure development and improvement to Cambodia’s future. This new 90-meter concrete bridge fills a void that hampered the ability to move goods and services across the river,” he added. “Though many large trucks were capable of transiting the river during the dry season, few, if any, vehicles crossed the river during the rainy season.”

Ambassador Ray also noted, “The Phum Koi Bridge is more than cement and rebar – it is a living testimonial to the U.S. government’s commitment to furthering Cambodia’s development, and its impact will reach far beyond simple economics. The rate of mine and unexploded ordnance casualties in Pailin province is the third highest in Cambodia. Last year’s casualty rate in Cambodia was the highest since 2000. In an effort to combat this significant problem, the U.S. government continues to fund the Cambodian Mine Action Center’s demining efforts in Pailin as it has since 2000. It is our hope that the Phum Koi Bridge and the access it provides to markets and public services will lead to a reduction of mine and unexploded ordnance casualties in Pailin.”

More than 4,000 people attended the 12 May 2005 dedication ceremony where a marker now stands as an enduring tribute to the men and women who helped make the bridge – the largest in Cambodia – possible. During the ceremony, the Royal Government of Cambodia presented the USARPAC engineers with a Certificate of Friendship Decoration of National Construction in appreciation for the improved quality of life the bridge will help bring to the surrounding communities. General Sem Sovanny, Chief of Engineers, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, noted that the new bridge “will help [the people] reach medical services and greatly improve their living conditions and access to this area.”

Building Wheelchair Accessible Schools in Vietnam
Vietnamese construction and support contractors worked with USARPAC engineers to build two new wheelchair accessible school campuses in Quang Binh province, Vietnam. About 100 disabled children will attend school at the different complexes, which are about 48 kilometers apart and about 500 kilometers from the capital city of Hanoi. Quang Binh province has a population of more than 800,000 people.

“The new schools were built on existing school campuses so that they can be expanded to educate more children in the future,” said U.S. Army Maj. Patrick Stogner. “With these new facilities, the community will still be able to use the original buildings for elementary schools, while the new ones will be used to educate children with disabilities.”

Designed and built to U.S. standards for handicapped accessibility, each school features modern conveniences, quality construction, and upgraded furnishings. Features include indoor restroom facilities, a kitchen area, and a place where the children can sleep during the week. “The children live at the school during the week and go home on the weekends. Now, they have a nice place to stay and quality furniture to sleep on,” noted Maj. Stogner. “This is something new to the area and meant so much to the teachers and students. You could see the excitement on their faces when they saw their new schools.”

Many students and their parents attended the 15 March 2005 dedication ceremony. USARPAC personnel welcomed them to their new center of learning. “There are two things I think I’ll remember most from this mission – the faces of the children and the reaction from the community,” said U.S. Army MSgt. Steven Walton. “Their smiles really touch your heart. It makes you feel good to look back at the end of a mission and know that you’ve helped a lot of people,” he added. “It’s also good to know that the work we’ve done helps create an atmosphere of goodwill toward the American people.”

The schoolhouses are the most recent examples of ongoing USARPAC Humanitarian Missions in Vietnam. Previously, U.S. Army engineers constructed eight medical facilities in Hue province and a primary school in Dong Hoi.