They stand in the background, silently observing third country nationals, or TCNs, with a watchful eye.

They call themselves “the ghosts of the base.” Their work almost goes unnoticed, but the 379th force protection security escort flight plays a critical role in base security.

“As a second line of defense for the base, TCN escorts provide an essential layer of protection by identifying suspicious activities,” said Brig. Gen. Ted Kresge, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. “They are critical to our force protection program.”

The Airmen, from more than 50 different Air Force specialty codes, attend two days of specialty training before starting their jobs as escorts.

“Most Airmen volunteer for this assignment, and some volunteer again and again,” said Master Sgt. Leroy Ainsworth, flight chief.

On any given day, they escort more than 300 TCNs on the base.

“We put the beef in force protection,” Sergeant Ainsworth said. “At any given time, there are more than 150 Airmen working escort duty and augmenting security forces.”

TCN escorts have confiscated sensitive material, identified security breeches and protected servicemembers’ identities. In addition to monitoring TCNs on the job, escorts look for items that may increase base vulnerabilities.

“Sometimes we go through the trash and find mail labels and maps that aren’t shredded and uniforms that still have nametapes and rank on them,” said Senior Airman Bobby Eller, a TCN escort. “These items could compromise families back home. In the case of uniforms, (they) could compromise the entire wing’s security.

“It’s amazing what people throw out,” he said. “If they only knew how careless they were being, they probably wouldn’t.”

Airman Eller noted the escorts aren’t out to bust servicemembers on base, they’re out to protect them. If escorts find an Airman’s mail labels or copies of orders, they alert the servicemember about the risks involved.

Ninety-nine percent of what the escorts find turn out to be false leads, but, according to Sergeant Ainsworth, even a small security breech could prove deadly.

“If something suspicious is found, escorts immediately report it to the office of special investigations,” he said.

The TCN escorts also watch the workers for suspicious activities like the collection of information, lengthy cell phone calls and unusual note-taking.

Airman 1st Class Kevin Higgins, a TCN escort, knows the value in his escort job.

“Without us, trash would be piling up, sewage tanks would overflow and construction would screech to a halt,” Airman Higgins said. “Without the escorts, security forces would have to do this job, and that career field is already stressed. We may be ‘ghosts’ on base, but we do know we’re a critical part of the 379th (AEW) mission.”