SAIPAN – For Pvt. Malia Passi, an engineer with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 797th Engineer Vertical Construction Company, the work of rebuilding Saipan after Super Typhoon Sinlaku has been personal. Among the homes her team has put new roofs on is her own.
Passi joined her unit in the post-Sinlaku recovery effort across the CNMI, installing temporary and replacement roofs on storm-damaged homes alongside fellow Reserve soldiers.
“Witnessing the transformation from storm damage to new roofs brings joy not only to us, but to the families we serve,” Passi said. “That’s our greatest flex.”
The 797th Engineer Vertical Construction Company is based at the Guam United States Army Reserve Center in Barrigada and is part of the 411th Engineer Battalion, 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, under the 9th Mission Support Command, the Army Reserve’s headquarters for the Pacific. The company has previously deployed for humanitarian construction missions across the Indo-Pacific, including in Thailand and Mongolia.
For Passi, every roof is more than a project, the 9th Mission Support Command said in its feature on the soldier. It is a symbol of hope, resilience, and the power of community.
Photos courtesy 9th Mission Support Command
