Serving through the season: Staff Sgt. Lara Koler

  • Published
  • By Vivian Wilson
  • Western Air Defense Sector Public Affairs
McCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) --  If Staff Sgt. Lara Koler had her 'druthers, she'd be taking hay rides and singing carols with her parents and other relatives during traditional holiday activities in Wendell, Idaho.

Instead, the Eugene, Ore., native will be watching radar tracks dance across her computer screen at the Western Air Defense Sector, McChord AFB, Wash. What's more, her shift might end at 10:30 p.m. one day and start at 6:30 a.m. the next, and she'll likely work seven days with little more than sleeping time.

Sergeant Koler knows about sacrifice. During the holidays she will be doing her job at McChord just as other Airmen will be doing theirs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ecuador, South Korea and other hot spots across the globe.

Sergeant Koler is part of a specially trained Air National Guard team that monitors U.S. air traffic west of the Mississippi. As an identification technician, she's responsible for making sure tracks of interest -- unknown radar blips in western U.S. air space -- are correctly identified. Her results play an important part in whether fighters will be scrambled to take a closer look at an aircraft in flight.

The mission is fundamental to homeland defense by maintaining air space sovereignty. It's a 24/7 responsibility, without end.

Working over the holidays doesn't make Sergeant Koler feel unlucky. Quite the contrary.

"I'm very blessed to be doing an important mission here," she said. "I have friends in Iraq right now who probably won't get even a phone call on Christmas. I'm lucky in that most of my family is close by and I'll get a chance to see them after the holidays."

As a member of the Sector's Predator Flight, the four-year Air Force veteran will be able to enjoy lots of food while she's on the job. Sector and flight leaders traditionally provide turkey, with flight members bringing in side dishes, for a holiday feast on the job. On Christmas Eve, she might even help NORAD specialists watch a certain bearded celebrity's progress during Operation Santa Tracking.

The Sector's mission as part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has been basically the same for more than 50 years. But events of Sept. 11, 2001, turned the Cold War task of watching inbound air traffic into a compelling new duty of watching internal air traffic in the war on terrorism.

Sergeant Koler is proud to be a part of that calling -- even when it requires long days with very little time off.

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