Three Nellis Red Horse teams ordered to Albania

Wednesday, June 9, 1999 | 10:46 a.m.

Three Red Horse combat engineering teams from Nellis Air Force Base have been ordered to Albania to make critical road and bridge repairs.

Secretary of Defense William Cohen signed the order Tuesday that will send 204 members of Nellis' 820th Red Horse Squadron to Albania for about six months.

The repairs are expected to allow easier movement of refugees from border areas to refugee camps further inside Albania, a Nellis spokesman said of the mission.

Two 94-member Red Horse teams and a 16-member team will be making the repairs.

The 16-man team is an advance team that will perform advanced airfield surveys, site layout, and planning for the orderly establishment of an operating location, a spokesman said.

The two 94-man teams are usually involved with light base development. They install aircraft systems, utility systems and basic shelters. These units also are responsible for pavement upgrades and repairs, bomb damage repair and earthworking.

"These highly trained men and women will provide the necessary skills to support this effort -- which will be desperately needed to ensure the safe return of Kosovo's Albanian refugees," said Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "Having toured this area, as well as the refugee camps, I can say that this will be no easy task for the Red Horse Squadron."