At any given time, the Corps of Engineers is working in 90 different countries a day, which means we have a very diverse engineering skill set.  Upon working in any area, there are many distinct cultural differences to consider. Sometimes these unique characteristics mean our engineers need to step outside of their traditional ways of doing things to meet our customer’s needs.

Afghanistan has proven to be no different.  Of our many construction challenges, understanding the Muslim culture and extreme terrain of Southwest Asia has resulted in some lessons learned. 

As we work together with the Afghan people and help mentor them in our engineering techniques, we are also learning from them.

Photo: An Afghan local and Jerry Holtz, Civil Engineer Tech, attempt to communicate with each other despite language differences. Camera: Nikon D70, Feb. 04, 05