United We Roll at Stardust Radio

We have learned over the years of visiting with deployed military members that many do not have the same job on deployment as they do at home. Take our interview with A1C Jordan Lelonis, who you can hear on our show broadcast Tuesday 8/10. At home, A1C Lelonis is an Air Traffic Controller. But on deployment - for which he volunteered - he is on escort security duty and is enjoying the opportunity to learn about the Kyrgyzstan people and their country. Tune in for his interview and check out the following article. Be sure to click on the link for some great photos.

http://www.manas.afcent.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123213073

First-time deployers serve outside their Air Force specialties
by Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Buzanowski
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

7/12/2010 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- For many Airmen deploying for the first time, they are serving outside of the comfort zone of their Air Force specialty. Right now, Airmen from more than 40 different career paths make up the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's Security Escort Flight.

The squadron's outgoing commander, Lt.Col. Craig Cole, says they are the sentries who monitor the Kyrgyz-partner contractors no matter the weather or time of day. "They're dealing with the uneasiness with dealing with a diverse team of Airmen across the Air Force and the unique challenges of watching contractors perform their daily duties.

"I have often reminded them that a deployment to Manas is not the same as the more hazardous locations in Afghanistan or Iraq, but it will prepare them for future deployments because it causes them to deal with issues like preparing for a deployment, the travel to and from the AOR [area of responsibility] and settling in at a completely foreign location," said Colonel Cole.

The flight has Airmen serving in grades of airman through technical sergeant. Two master sergeants, Nathan Burleson and Mike Rogers, run the flight but everyone serves on four-month rotations.

"We trust, but verify the jobs the escorts are doing at random sites," said Sergeant Burleson as he drives on the flight line to make the three-times-weekly rounds. "We want to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be and that they're paying full attention to the people they are escorting. We also want to be sure the escorts are taken care of - if it's sunny that they have shade and that they're drinking water to stay hydrated."

"We don't get out as much as we'd like to so we rely quite a bit on the NCOs in dispatch," said Sergeant Burleson.

One of those NCOs is Staff Sgt. Loree Flores. Originally an air traffic controller, she's currently filling a special duty at McConnell AFB, Kan., as a dorm manager. "They normally don't deploy dorm managers, but I asked to deploy since I haven't in four years."

Part of her time at the flight is spent on dispatch - the hub of security escort operations. She explained that the Airmen escort the workers' vehicles from the visitor control center to the work site and must account for every vehicle and person in their group.

"At dispatch, we track where all the security escorts are and if they need anything. The NCO warriors or points bring water, Gatorade and snacks out to the escorts, stopping to actual help work the escort sites when needed or to escort a vehicle from the group that needs to get off base," said Sergeant Flores.

At formations she reminds everyone not to be complacent. Escorts contribute directly to force protection and operational security programs here by having keen situational awareness.

"Watching contractors take out the trash is one of the less glamorous jobs that the escorts do," said Sergeant Burleson.

It's Transit Center at Manas' policy to shred all papers to help protect against privacy act violations, for example social security numbers on orders. If an escort sees papers that haven't been shredded they'll take the initiative and pull these papers before they leave the center, explained Sergeant Rogers.

Also, with such a high volume of transients coming home from down range they often discard weathered uniforms in the trash. The Security Escort Flight recognized this and now all service members are briefed to discard their uniforms at a particular collection point.

Like Sergeant Flores, Airman 1st Class Jordan Lelonis, also an air traffic controller, volunteered for the deployment. "If I had waited to deploy in my job I'd have been waiting about four years," said the first-time deployer from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. "It's a different change of pace and I was really excited to get the tasking. Within my first week here I felt really comfortable with the job."

Pointing at the two master sergeants at his construction site, "they really take care of everyone."

Airman 1st Class William Ybarra, F-16 crew chief, deployed from Aviano Air Base, Italy, said he wasn't sure what to expect. "But the food is definitely better than what I expected. I can eat a lot more here than I can back home."

For other Airmen, the deployment is a chance to volunteer and be involved in the community. Airman 1st Class Joshua Weathers, a fuels Airman, is deployed here from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom. "I like the freedoms here of being able to volunteer," said the Airman who is on the base honor guard and is contemporary choir singer. "Morale is definitely good. The positives about this deployment outweigh the negatives."

The master sergeants explained that they coordinate a lot with the contracting office to anticipate the escort requirements for any given day which could be as many as 30-40 locations or jobs. About 75 percent of the escorts work a day shift, and in the winter when most outside projects cease for the season the number of escorts assigned to the flight will scale down.

"Over the past 6 months, I have had over 175 escorts rotate through here under my command. They provide a capability that is not glamorous, often tedious and definitely underappreciated. Without them, operations at the Transit Center would grind to a halt," said Colonel Cole. "The escorts have greatly enhanced our relations with our local partners by treating them with respect and professionalism."