The Cool Blue Blog

Indiana and Tennessee NG exercise Soft Power in Afghanistan

‘Guard Farmers’ Join Counterinsurgency Fight in Afghanistan By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2008 – The National Guard is taking a biblical verse to heart: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” Commanders in Afghanistan are looking forward to the deployment of two agri-business development teams next year. The teams – one from Indiana and one from Tennessee – are made up of National Guardsmen with farming backgrounds. They will serve a year in Afghanistan advising local governments and people on agricultural practices. An agri-business development team from Texas already is working in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province. “The focus of all we do is the Afghan people, and our intent in everything we do is to separate the people physically and psychologically from the enemy,” said Army Col. John P. Johnson, commander of Combined Task Force Currahee. The unit is built around the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky. The task force has responsibility for 2.3 million people in Wardak, Logar, Paktia, Khowst and Paktika provinces in Regional Command East. The vast majority of the people in the region are farmers or herders, and agricultural expertise will help them improve their quality of life. “We try to connect with the legitimate government and the Afghan security forces with the people,” Johnson said. About 80 Guard members make up each team. The military has no occupational specialty for farmers, so the members can be any specialty or branch. They are included in the unit solely for their civilian expertise, National Guard Bureau officials said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has some specialists in provincial reconstruction teams, but not many at other levels of command. The “soft power” these teams represent can help Afghanistan for the long run, Johnson said. “We cannot succeed here with military power alone,” he said. It is critical to follow military power with rebuilding and construction funds, Johnson said. “We’re really excited about getting these two agri-business development teams in our area of operations,” he said. The teams bring expertise in hydrology, dairy farming, chicken farming, soil conservation, pest management and agricultural business practices. The people in the provinces are subsistence farmers, but there is potential to build the agricultural capacity, Johnson said. The teams will have support from agricultural universities in the United States. The Indiana team is undergoing refresher training at Purdue University. “They will have an entire system that allows them to increase production and take advantage of all the potential that is here,” the colonel said. For example, wheat that farmers grow in Khowst is delivered to Pakistan for milling. The Pakistanis ship it back to Afghanistan for sale. With help from the teams, Afghans may be able to start their own milling plants. “Teams will assist the farmers to build entire agricultural systems and allow them to take full advantage of all the agricultural potential resident here,” Johnson said.

Al Qaida's Islamic enemy

Last week, the major new facility for Higher Learning opened in Khost Afghanistan

Located in Khost province, 200km away from the capital Kabul, the Zayed University was built at the cost of $4.8 million. It will offer courses in medicine, engineering, agriculture, technology, Islamic studies, arts, literature and education.

And it wasn't built by the Western countries; it was built by the United Arab Emirates

The university was built thanks to a generous grant by the late UAE President His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan...

In remarks after the inauguration ceremony, Al Mazroui reiterated the UAE's commitment to help the Afghan people in health, education, reconstruction, and humanitarian spheres. He said the opening of the university underscored the commitment of Shaikh Khalifa to fulfil the vision of the late Shaikh Zayed.

But it turns out, that the UAE is doing much more than going around offering humanitarian aid. According to the BBC

The BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, can reveal that Arab soldiers have been taking part in dangerous missions alongside US troops in Afghanistan.

Troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been delivering humanitarian aid to their fellow Muslims and, on occasion, fighting their way out of Taleban ambushes. Though Jordanian forces have been carrying out some base security duties, the UAE's troops are the only Arab soldiers undertaking full-scale operations in the country.

Until now, their deployment has been kept so secret that not even their own countrymen knew they were here....

...these are not the only coalition troops giving out aid to Afghans. But what is really winning hearts and minds is the Islamic connection....

"We make a contract with the US Army to help the people down here, not to fight".

But I put it to him that in fact his troops have been fighting insurgents as well as handing out aid.

"If we have any types of personal attacks we react with fire. And after that we go to the elders in this area: 'Why are you shooting us? We came here to help you.

"'If you have the same picture of all coalition forces, we are different. We came here to help you.'

"And we try to convince the people about the US, about British. They came here to give you peace."

The same type of Counter-Insurgency (COIN) strategy operating in Iraq is the model here.

The Emirati approach is to meet their fellow Muslims' religious needs first, then build schools and clinics later.

But for this to have a wider, lasting, and national effect, the blueprint would need to be repeated and expanded by others, many times over and throughout Afghanistan.

And that is not likely to happen in the near future.

But the efforts put forth by the UAE is a great start and perhaps other Muslim nations will feel encouraged to help.

And there is no better advertisement for success than, well, success.

 

Progress against the Taliban

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross writing at the Counter Terrorism Blog notes that President Musharraf was not the only loser when Pakistan held successful elections last month

Pakistan's February 18 elections signaled a dramatic shift in Islamist parties' fortunes in the North-West Frontier Province. In the 2002 general election, religious parties won 67 seats in the 99-seat provincial assembly, while in 2008 they won only nine seats. Some commentators have attached great strategic significance to these results. For example, Heritage Foundation research fellow Lisa Curtis wrote that "[p]erhaps the most important outcome" of Pakistan's elections "was the victory of a secular Pashtun party in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) over religious parties sympathetic to the Taliban." The Christian Science Monitor declared that the victorious Awami National Party (ANP) is "expected to marshal all the province's resources - police, politics, and the law - against extremism."

And the result has been felt in Afghanistan

The troubles in Pakistan’s federally administered tribal areas across the border are being felt in Afghanistan. There have been fewer Taliban trying to infiltrate.

“The Taliban are very opportunistic,” the general said. “They flow and move where the opportunities present themselves. With all of the things going on inside Pakistan right now, that has had an impact in what is going on along the border.”

But in general, how far have we come in Afghanistan and how far do we need to go? SGM Curtis L. Regan CJTF-82, CJ-3 Bagram, Afghanistan gives us a clue

So where are we? Six years ago, there was no Afghanistan government, there was no Afghanistan President, there was no Afghanistan Army, there was no Afghanistan police force, and there were no Afghanistan border patrols.  Criminals did not go in front of duly appointed judges in modern courtrooms, and convicted felons did not go to prison. Afghanistan children did not go to school, young adults did not go to college, and farmers’ produce did not travel to market.  Commerce did not flow, engineering projects did not get off the ground, and corruption reigned supreme.

As a combined joint and multi-national task force, we are intent on increasing interoperability with the fledgling Afghan National Security Forces, fostering regional military professionalism within the Afghan National Army, and demonstrating by example the role of the Afghan National Police in a democracy.  Reciprocal military-to-military contact is the primary method of executing these goals.  The reciprocity concept means all sides – US Forces, host nation forces, and international partners – participate and benefit.

This success is especially critical in the company of an unprecedented media presence.  The media alone can make the difference between success and failure, particularly in elongated military operations and global campaigns like the ones we are currently engaging in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And all at a time when our Allies must trust and have confidence in our efforts - Once this trust is violated, this relationship becomes ineffective.

Early in this war the enemy shifted from conducting conventional operations to pursuing an insurgent strategy to topple the newly established political system and discredit the duly elected government of Afghanistan.  We therefore adapted a strategy to effectively meet this threat.  Counter-insurgency operations are complex and require a deep understanding of the enemy and his intent.  Additionally, counterinsurgency operations require patience, perseverance, initiative, and discipline to defeat the enemy.  Inherent to this success is the essence of our campaign objectives and counter-insurgency operational activities.

Sustained Armed Forces presence in a region promotes a secure environment in which diplomatic and economic programs can flourish. This sustained presence of strong, capable ground forces is the most visible sign of US commitment – to allies and adversaries alike.  But presence alone does not defeat an insurgency, regardless of the length of time and manpower committed to the endeavor.  Determining the military actions and civil activities necessary to achieve the desired political end-state is quite challenging in counter-insurgency operations.  Success takes years and requires perseverance and a long term commitment to solving the real problems.  Conversely, daily operations require rapid and aggressive responses to changing conditions based on localized conflict from competing groups.

Where do we go from here and how do we succeed in the end? A simple but effective Counter-insurgency strategy executed deliberately and consistently over a protracted period of time, with professional poise and steadfast determination from all elements of security and support.

But as SGM Regan points out we need more

The Nation is best served when Congress remains focused toward concrete resolution of all armed conflict.  The effectiveness of the Military’s collective efforts overseas speaks well for the institutional soul of today’s Armed Forces.  Our values and the laws governing warfare teach us to respect human dignity, maintain our honesty, and do what is right. Adherence to our values distinguishes us from terrorists, insurgents, and other lawless factions. The ultimate success of this Counter-Insurgency Operation depends on maintaining the obligatory value systems in all that we do, and that we continue to occupy the moral high ground, be it with prisoners of war, suspected enemy personnel, or our own countrymen.

The necessity and required outcome of this conflict remain unchanged.  Strong resolute men must remain steadfast in the prosecution of terrorists and insurgent forces and a strong, capable, self-reliant Nation must follow in the wake of fanatical tyranny.  Evil must be eradicated, and ideology must be constrained to lawful and legitimate means of debate.  Free people must be endowed with the choice of personal religious practices, the pursuit of happiness, and the rewards that come with hard work, creative thinking, and personal expressions of excellence.  Coercion, abuse of power, and tyrannical submission of individual rights and liberties cannot go unchecked. 

Yeah, but are our political institutions up to this task?

Our military is...

Family affair

Americans Donate School Supplies

Combined Joint Task Force –76 coordinates delivery of backpacks and supplies to the children of Afghanistan.

By U.S. Army Sgt. Mayra Kennedy
345th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 7, 2006 —The commander of Combined Joint Task Force - 76 gathered with Afghan officials here June 19 and in support of the ongoing humanitarian mission donated 2,050 school supplies to Afghan children.

Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, CJTF – 76 commander, presented the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police with the donation, primarily from families at Fort Polk, La., and Fort Drum, N.Y.
                  
“A lot of organizations in the U.S. are contributing school supplies for Afghan children,” said Freakley, who explained how the donation will be divided among the two organizations. “This is the first time that we’ve donated supplies to the ANA and ANP.  We are trying to make a better life for the people of Afghanistan.”

He explained that the donation was given to the army and police because they know best who is in need of the supplies.
                  
Afghan Gen. Esmatullah Darrlatzai, ANP commander of the Regional Command South, received half of the school supplies, which will be given to those in need.
                  
“This is the best way to see and keep the people supporting the government,” said Esmatullah.

Earlier this month, the army distributed school supplies to at least one school and an orphanage in the Kandahar Province where 1,200 Afghan boys and girls benefited from the donations.

During a visit at a school in Lashkar Gah, Esmatullah said children received him and his soldiers with open arms and he wanted to repay their sentiments by providing school supplies.

“Both generals need to know this is an initial down payment,” said Freakley.  “If they need more, they need to tell their mentors so that we can help out.”

Czech Generator

Master technician turns lights on in Gardez

April 5, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan (Army News Service, April 5, 2006) – After 20 years of darkness, the lights are finally back on in Gardez, thanks to the Czech Republic’s donation of a generator and the talents of Yvan Nobile, master technician.

Between years of conflict and a lack of maintenance, the city’s generator died years ago, plunging the small metropolis into a world of darkness and back into the nineteenth century. Enter the Czech Republic with its donation and Nobile, with more than 40 years of electrical expertise.

“The equipment was in poor shape,” said Nobile, a spry French-American master electrical engineer. The Governor of Gardez had tried to fix the problem and realized he needed help. That’s why they sent me. I know electrical systems. I’m what they call a troubleshooter.”

Since the city didn’t have a new electrical switchboard to transmit electricity to the power lines, Nobile rigged up its old switch as a temporary “fix” until the new one is ready for installation in April.

“The equipment was old and damaged,” reflected Nobile. “It was dangerous to work with it … I could have blown myself up.”

To avert any glitches when giving the city the go-ahead to turn the power back on, Nobile inspected the city’s power lines and meters to ensure they could still handle the electrical load.

“It was wonderful,” Nobile added. “Everyone was happy when the lights went on. Once the new switchboard is here and installed, this will help Gardez generate monies to sustain itself.“

Nobile said he will train city workers how to maintain the switchboard when he installs the new one, just as he had when setting up the generator.

(Editor’s note: Maureen Ramsey serves with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District Public Affairs Office.)

Lava Dogs' dual mission

Marines Stymie Taliban, Earn Afghan Villagers' Trust

The Marines of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment have a dual mission: to track down insurgents and to ensure Afghan villagers have the opportunity to live in peace.

By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Joe Lindsay
Task Force Lava Public Affairs

RECHAH LAM, Afghanistan, March 28, 2006 — The primary mission of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment is to track down insurgents and render their operations ineffective.

But another mission is to ensure villagers are afforded the opportunity to live in peace – so that farmers can farm, shop owners can sell their wares, and children, including girls, can attend school without fear of retribution.

The Lava Dogs, as the 1/3 Marines are known, took on these missions after arriving in eastern Afghanistan from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, about three months ago. Their investment in Afghans’ lives has paid huge dividends in trust and in intelligence-gathering, which has led to further victories on the battlefield, said U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. James Robertson, section leader of the battalion’s combined anti-armor team.

“Going to villages, meeting with elders and showing our support to villagers has been something we have done since day 1, and is something we will continue to do as long as we are here,” said Powell, of Portland, Ore.

This show of support to the villagers of Afghanistan was evident on a recent mission to the tiny village of Rechah Lam, in Kunar Province.

“We get out to Rechah Lam as much as possible, because for some reason that village has been a place where the insurgents think they can control the villagers through intimidation and threats,” Robertson said. “An [Afghan National Police] outpost near Rechah Lam was attacked by insurgents, and we headed out there immediately.

“The village elders informed us that members of the Taliban had been in the village the day before, threatening to kill villagers who allowed girls to attend school,” Robertson continued. “We came back and brought school supplies for those girls and, as a result of our continuous show of force and support, the Taliban have not been back since, and those little girls are getting the education they so desperately need.”

Besides school supplies, the Lava Dogs also gave out winter clothing, shoes, blankets and basic food staples. Navy corpsmen provided medical check-ups, with an emphasis on providing care for children, said Marine 1st Lt. Carl DeSantis, the distributed-operations platoon commander.

“Rechah Lam, in particular, has been getting a lot of pressure from the Taliban to shut down the girls’ school,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to let that happen. All children deserve an education. The insurgents are steadfast against girls receiving any type of schooling. This is the type of enemy we face, an enemy that wants to keep the people enslaved both mentally and physically.”

Ensuring that schools, including girls’ schools, are left free to operate is an important element in the war on terrorism, said DeSantis, of Reno, Nev.

“In my opinion, the people we really need to concentrate on are the children,” he said. “They are the least biased, and they are not set in their ways as much. They haven’t lived through the Russian war, and they are going to be either the future leaders of democracy or the future fighters against it.”

Long-haul truckers

Airmen train Afghan Soldiers for first long-haul mission

By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

3/20/2006 - KABUL, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- U.S. Airmen recently trained Soldiers from the Afghan National Army’s Central Movement Agency for their first long-haul convoy mission.

The mission March 12 covered hundreds of miles from Kabul to Kandahar and involved two trucks, each carrying 6,000 liters of fuel.

The Airmen and ANA soldiers rose to the challenge when the coalition’s forward operating bases needed fuel and contractors were not available. They planned and coordinated the mission in a single day, said Maj. Richard Jones II of the 755th Expeditionary Mission Support Group.

Major Jones is the senior mentor with an embedded training team that arrived in January to teach ANA soldiers how to operate tactical cargo vehicles. At the time, the Central Management Agency had no working vehicles and its soldiers were living in the cabs of old trucks, he said. Further, many soldiers assigned to the agency had no experience as drivers.

“Now we have a brand-new fleet of vehicles and have moved into new buildings. (The) ANA is becoming a self-sustaining force, no longer relying on local contractors, but making nationwide movements on their own,” Major Jones said.

Task Force Sword

Civil Affairs Mission Helps Afghan Villagers

Coalition forces along with the village inhabitants build schools and  irrigation systems,  as well as provide humanitarian assistance.

By Staff Sgt. Marti Ribeiro
Combined Joint Task Force 76 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 7, 2006 — To an American soldier, stepping into Mollai is like stepping back in time; mud huts, with no indoor plumbing or electricity and built into the side of a mountain across from their main water source – a mountain stream.

But this is everyday life for the inhabitants of Mollai, a small village in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Mollai, consisting of six small villages with approximately 4,000 people, is self-sustaining with water, food, religion and education. But Coalition forces have joined with the village inhabitants to improve their quality of life by building schools and irrigation systems, as well as providing humanitarian assistance through the distribution of rice, beans, clothes, shoes and school supplies.

Recently, soldiers from Task Force Sword visited Mollai and conducted a tri-fold mission to inspect current construction projects for quality control, to conduct a civil affairs assessment of the village and to distribute humanitarian assistance items.

According to TF Sword officials, the main reason for the visit was to inspect the current progress on the construction of a girls’ school. The school will educate elementary through high school and will house more than 300 students. The construction of girls’ schools is still a new concept in Afghanistan. The Taliban prohibited girls from attending school during its reign.

But, since 2001 when U.S. troops ousted the Taliban, girls’ schools have been showing up all over the country. The demand for these construction projects requires the U.S. military to hire building contractors, to construct these types of facilities. However, these contractors also help out the locals by hiring village inhabitants to complete the work.

“This helps boost their economy,” said Lt. Col. Gary Russ, TF Sword Civil Affairs Officer in Charge.

“Twenty-one of the villagers have been hired to help build the school,” said the chief village elder speaking through an interpreter.

Members of TF Sword monitor the six-month project continually during the construction process by members of TF Sword.

“We typically visit a project like this about five times during the construction phase,” said Sgt. 1st Class Alfonso Gonzales, construction inspector for TF Sword.

During the inspection, village elders expressed concern that the school would not be large enough to hold the number of female students in the village.

Through the use of an interpreter, Russ and Gonzales negotiated with the village elders to construct a larger school.

“We’ve already programmed the budget for this project, so unfortunately we are unable to change at this point in the construction process,” Russ said. “But, there are other ways to resolve this issue.”

Russ worked with the elders to develop a plan to construct a larger school with the help of the local villagers.

“If you can donate time and labor, I think we can get this accomplished,” Russ said to the chief village elder.

The elder agreed that if the villagers and the contractor work together they can build a larger school.

While the quality control/quality assurance team conducted their inspection, the civil affairs team spoke with the villagers through an interpreter to assess the quality of life for the inhabitants of Mollai.

“We talk to them about health issues and other things regarding quality of life,” said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Weston McAuslan, leader of the 405th Civil Affairs team attached to TF Sword.

When TF Sword completed the construction inspection and civil affairs assessment, they moved onto the humanitarian mission. Soldiers unloaded Humvees full of rice, beans, shoes, school supplies, toys and candy for village elders to distribute accordingly.

“We empower the leadership by giving them the authority to distribute the items,” said Sgt. 1st Class Elrado Mason, TF Sword Civil Affairs Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge.

The items distributed come from a multitude of areas. The rice and beans were from the humanitarian assistance compound and the rest of the items came from donations from churches and support groups back in the states.

“Most of the shoes we gave out today were donated by the Soldiers of Task Force Sword,” said Lt. Col. Thomas E. Killgore, TF Sword chaplain who helped distribute the goods to the village elders.

“It’s great to be a part of something like this,” Killgore said. “Three separate missions came together as one team and worked in one cohesive motion.”

Public Service

U.S., Coalition Efforts Helping Improve Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

   

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2006 – Humanitarian efforts continue in Afghanistan as coalition forces helped remove snow from impassable roads and built "hygiene facilities" at a small school. In addition, international diplomats visited a provincial reconstruction team Jan. 21.

U.S. troops from Task Force Sword have stepped in to help clear roads that are nearly impossible because of snow and ice, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials said.

"It's a joint effort between the (U.S.) military, Afghan government and contractors hired by the provincial reconstruction teams," Lt. Col. Jud Cook, Task Force Sword deputy commander, said today.

This joint team has successfully cleared roads in Sharona, Orgun-E and various forward operating bases around Afghanistan. Task Force Sword has used equipment from its road construction projects to clear the ice and snow. By next month, the task force also will have 20 sand and salt spreaders attached to 5-ton trucks to help clear the roads.

The snow and ice removal helps accomplish the military mission by allowing trucks to travel to remote locations. It also makes these same roads available to civilian and commercial traffic, Cook said.

In Uruzgan province, Afghan construction workers completed male and female hygiene facilities and a fresh water well at a local boy's school in central Afghanistan over the past week. U.S. forces funded the projects, which cost more than $30,000 and employed eight Afghans for a period of two months. The hygiene facilities were built over existing hot springs, allowing local residents to enjoy hot water in a building where electric water heaters are not available.

"The construction of these facilities not only provided jobs and much needed currency for the local residents, but they also show the Afghan people that coalition and U.S. forces are here to help," said Army Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman.

More then 90 construction and renovation projects are currently under way in the Uruzgan province, totaling more than $6 million.

Diplomats from around the world visited the provincial reconstruction team in Panjshir province Jan. 21 to witness reconstruction efforts of Combined Joint Task Force 76 and the newest PRT. Before visiting the Panjshir PRT, CJTF 76 commander Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya briefed government officials from 13 nations and the European Union about reconstruction projects.

"The day highlighted how coalition military and civilian agencies, whether coalition or not, can and should provide effective mutual support on the security and humanitarian fronts," Richard Smyth, the task force's political adviser, said.

The first of its kind, the Panjshir PRT is a joint effort between the members of CJTF 76 and the U.S. Embassy. Fletcher Burton, a U.S. State Department civilian, is its commander.

"Today we had a very interesting visit to Bagram Airfield and then to Panjshir to see how the American PRT is doing," Regis Koetschet, French Ambassador to Afghanistan, said. "Two months ago, we had a meeting with (CFCA Commander Army Lieutenant) General Karl Eikenberry, and he talked about this new type of PRT here in Panjshir. This was an excellent opportunity to see how it worked on the ground.

"The visit was a good opportunity to see this new type of integration of military and civilian agencies," Koetschet said. "I'm quite impressed by this new type of PRT."

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)

The Wild Wild West....of Afghanistan

Windmills Provide Inexpensive Water Source for Afghan Farmers

American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Jan. 19, 2006 – Coalition forces are installing windmills across southern Afghanistan to provide farmers with water 24 hours a day.

"Windmills for the farmers provide an easy energy source to a rural area," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andrew Mazerik, a civil affairs officer with Task Force Bayonet of the coalition's Combined Joint Task Force 76. "There's not a lot of maintenance needed for the windmills, and this effort shows that the Afghan government is doing something for the people."

The program began with the installation of a test windmill at Kandahar Airfield three months ago. Two windmills were installed in Uruzgan Province shortly afterward, officials said.

More recently, village elders in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul provinces met with their governors and local provincial reconstruction team commanders to decide where other windmills could best be used.

The first windmills in Helmand and Zabul provinces are expected to be operational within weeks. A total of 30 will be installed by spring.

Afghans who work for an American construction company, C&C, construct the windmills in Kandahar. They are purchased with Commander's Emergency Relief Program funds for about $15,000 each.

Farmers can use the windmills to power irrigation systems for crops, such as soybeans and wheat, while avoiding operating costs and maintenance problems of diesel-powered mechanical generators. They also share water with their neighbors.

"An entire village can be supported by the windmill," Mazerik said. "It works on gravity, and it depends on how big the holding tank is. A standard size windmill pumps 10 to 30 gallons per minute. It can supply a lot of water.

"They're a positive reinforcement and a beautiful symbol," he added.