WEBVTT 00:04.840 --> 00:06.784 My name is Lieutenant Colonel Bill 00:06.784 --> 00:08.784 Vivian on the commanding officer of 00:08.784 --> 00:10.896 second Battalion fourth Marines , The 00:10.896 --> 00:12.951 magnificent bastards . We've been in 00:12.951 --> 00:15.173 charge of moussaka and nausea districts 00:15.173 --> 00:18.230 into 17th of september 2011 . So what 00:18.230 --> 00:20.230 can you tell me about the musa Qala 00:20.230 --> 00:23.980 water water crossing ? Sir ? Massocca 00:23.980 --> 00:27.070 wadi crossing ? It was several things . 00:27.070 --> 00:29.014 It represents a couple of things . 00:29.014 --> 00:31.260 First , it was a real team effort was 00:32.240 --> 00:35.010 something that RC southwest all the way 00:35.010 --> 00:37.670 from that level down here to uh the 00:37.670 --> 00:39.448 squad that was in charge of its 00:39.448 --> 00:41.670 security all work together to make this 00:41.670 --> 00:43.892 happen . Another thing about this water 00:43.892 --> 00:46.260 crossing is that it represents two 00:46.260 --> 00:48.510 things to the people of the district . 00:48.520 --> 00:51.210 One big and one small , I'd say the 00:51.210 --> 00:53.450 small thing is that it's going to 00:53.450 --> 00:55.672 actually give them the ability to cross 00:55.672 --> 00:58.440 the wadi by foot or by vehicle when the 00:58.440 --> 01:00.384 water is high , which is something 01:00.384 --> 01:02.607 they've never had here . But the bigger 01:02.607 --> 01:04.890 thing I believe is that this wadi 01:04.890 --> 01:08.090 crossing actually symbolizes the 01:08.090 --> 01:11.250 connection of moussaka to the rest of 01:11.250 --> 01:13.361 the province into the outside world . 01:15.140 --> 01:16.973 Did the district government help 01:16.973 --> 01:19.270 complete this project in any way . The 01:19.270 --> 01:21.780 district government did a lot to help 01:21.780 --> 01:24.080 complete this project . Uh , it wasn't 01:24.080 --> 01:26.191 financial support or anything of that 01:26.191 --> 01:28.080 nature . However , they worked to 01:28.080 --> 01:30.302 explain what was going on to the people 01:30.302 --> 01:32.710 uh to create the feeling that the time 01:32.710 --> 01:34.877 was right here and the conditions were 01:34.877 --> 01:37.440 correct to undertake this project and 01:37.440 --> 01:39.920 they also had a major hand and sending 01:39.920 --> 01:41.864 the messages to the people to help 01:41.864 --> 01:45.130 protect it . And how did the Afghan 01:45.130 --> 01:47.074 National Police or Afghan National 01:47.074 --> 01:48.908 Security Forces help protect the 01:48.908 --> 01:51.019 project during its construction while 01:51.019 --> 01:53.186 it was being constructed , they helped 01:53.186 --> 01:55.408 the materials as they were brought in . 01:55.408 --> 01:57.770 And then every single night the police 01:57.780 --> 01:59.836 from the chocolate guarded the water 01:59.836 --> 02:01.836 crossing to keep I . D . Layers and 02:01.836 --> 02:05.780 other bad people away from the site And 02:05.780 --> 02:08.830 what units besides to for an NMC before 02:08.830 --> 02:10.663 helped construct or complete the 02:10.663 --> 02:12.719 project . And how did they integrate 02:12.719 --> 02:15.090 with 2 4 operations ? Well , as I said , 02:15.100 --> 02:16.878 the list is long and people who 02:16.878 --> 02:19.330 contributed to this Combat Logistics 02:19.330 --> 02:21.490 Battalion , six brought up materials 02:21.500 --> 02:24.470 for the bridge , the combat engineer 02:24.470 --> 02:26.470 battalion and their route clearance 02:26.470 --> 02:28.810 platoons helped clear the route to 02:28.810 --> 02:31.610 bring this stuff in from points to the 02:31.610 --> 02:35.460 south . Uh then there was 02:35.940 --> 02:38.107 many others who helped in the planning 02:38.107 --> 02:40.273 up at the higher headquarters with the 02:40.273 --> 02:42.496 engineering effort that was required to 02:42.496 --> 02:44.551 pull this off . And what do you hope 02:44.551 --> 02:46.662 the completion of the project will do 02:46.662 --> 02:48.718 for the economy , the local citizens 02:48.718 --> 02:50.496 and the bazaar in the musa Qala 02:50.496 --> 02:50.470 district . The completion of this 02:50.470 --> 02:53.040 project related to two main things will 02:53.040 --> 02:56.970 happen . First is economic uh musa 02:56.970 --> 02:59.430 Qala bizarre , is the third largest bar 02:59.440 --> 03:01.680 bizarre in Helmand province and they 03:01.690 --> 03:04.000 rely on supplies coming up from your 03:04.000 --> 03:06.520 esque and Lashkar gah to make that 03:06.520 --> 03:08.631 economic engine go and this will help 03:08.631 --> 03:11.130 that effort . The second one is as we 03:11.130 --> 03:13.270 get more connected to last regard , 03:13.280 --> 03:15.840 this will help governance uh so that 03:15.840 --> 03:17.951 the provincial government can come up 03:18.240 --> 03:20.610 and actually do the things that are 03:20.610 --> 03:22.666 necessary to connect people to their 03:22.666 --> 03:25.060 own government and what other 03:25.060 --> 03:27.171 development projects if any are being 03:27.171 --> 03:29.282 constructed or have been completed on 03:29.282 --> 03:32.520 your watch . The other development 03:32.520 --> 03:34.631 projects that we're working on a very 03:34.631 --> 03:38.070 uh widely from schools uh down in 03:38.070 --> 03:41.860 Shigatse for example to uh re 03:42.440 --> 03:44.800 juve in aiding the street lights in the 03:44.810 --> 03:48.000 bazaar at night for security too 03:48.010 --> 03:51.660 small road repair projects and things 03:51.660 --> 03:53.716 of that nature . So it's pretty wide 03:53.716 --> 03:57.320 variety . And if NMC 03:57.320 --> 03:59.880 before constructed this bridge , how 03:59.880 --> 04:02.047 was too far involved in this project ? 04:02.047 --> 04:04.460 Well , to four was involved . Uh First 04:04.460 --> 04:07.090 of all from connecting all the players 04:07.090 --> 04:09.257 together here on the ground and making 04:09.257 --> 04:11.423 this happen , whether that was uh from 04:11.423 --> 04:13.820 RC southwest or I sat or whether it was 04:13.830 --> 04:17.230 the Jero officials or the local police 04:17.240 --> 04:20.520 uh and also uh we housed everybody here 04:20.530 --> 04:24.310 who built the uh water crossing and 04:24.320 --> 04:27.220 we also took a major hand in securing 04:27.220 --> 04:30.520 the site . Uh and will the completion 04:30.520 --> 04:32.742 of this project increase the access and 04:32.742 --> 04:34.853 influence the district government has 04:34.853 --> 04:36.798 to the surrounding areas . It will 04:36.798 --> 04:39.280 absolutely increase the influence of 04:39.290 --> 04:41.512 district government is going to have on 04:41.512 --> 04:44.020 the surrounding areas . Do you think 04:44.020 --> 04:45.742 the completion of this project 04:45.742 --> 04:47.798 represents anything outside of a new 04:47.798 --> 04:50.830 bridge ? I I do believe this represents 04:50.830 --> 04:52.980 a lot outside just the completion of 04:52.980 --> 04:55.890 the bridge . Uh uh the symbolic nature 04:55.890 --> 04:57.723 of this water crossing cannot be 04:57.723 --> 04:59.834 understated and connecting moussaka , 04:59.834 --> 05:01.834 which has been seen as an island of 05:01.834 --> 05:04.001 security to the rest of the province . 05:04.001 --> 05:06.001 I think , uh , this symbolizes that 05:06.001 --> 05:08.330 connection . And as things get better 05:08.340 --> 05:10.370 on the road to Gereshk and security 05:10.370 --> 05:12.481 improves , that will just increase in 05:12.481 --> 05:15.530 snowball . And is there anything else 05:15.530 --> 05:18.830 you'd like to add ? Uhh , I guess in 05:18.830 --> 05:21.810 closing , I'd like to add that . We 05:21.810 --> 05:23.866 love the cbs , Just like we love the 05:23.866 --> 05:26.088 marines . They did a heck of a good job 05:26.088 --> 05:28.310 here . And uh , this is really going to 05:28.310 --> 05:30.366 be a crowning achievement , not only 05:30.366 --> 05:32.366 for 24 , but for all the battalions 05:32.366 --> 05:34.160 that fought here before us .