Airmen defend inside the wire

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. J. LaVoie
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  One group of Airmen here enables local and third-country nationals to work here, which helps Kirkuk officials reduce military manpower needed and provide security to thousands of residents.

Airmen escorts came from bases and various career fields throughout the Air Force and brought here to “defend inside the wire.” Though their primary focus is force protection, their mere presence is vital to the mission here.

These 506th Civil Engineer Squadron escorts supervise local and third-country nationals while they build structures, clean facilities and repair infrastructure. This means the efforts of several workers can be completed under the watchful eye of just one Airman.

“If they are not doing (these) jobs, from janitorial staff to construction, we would have to have more Airmen … to accomplish the mission,” said Senior Airman Jesus Ontiveros of the 506th ECES.

The workers perform a variety of tasks.

“(They) do everything ranging from maintenance of the caddies to installation of the power plant that will provide power for the entire base,” said Master Sgt. John Stone, 506th ECES escort superintendent.

Escorts also allow coalition forces to provide jobs to local workers who would otherwise not be allowed on base. Hundreds of workers earn a living by working here every day, said Senior Airman Mark Puglise of the 506th ECES.

“We provide jobs for people who might not have them otherwise,” he said. “We’re helping provide steady jobs so they can have a better life for their families, and in turn, help stabilize the local economy.”

Though the escorts work with local workers every day, they said they understand the threat of one terrorist or criminal gaining access to Kirkuk is very real.

“Since background checks are expensive, we can’t always weed the one bad guy out of the (hundreds of) people (who) are here to work,” Sergeant Stone said.

Because only one criminal could cause damage, escorts are critical to force protection here.

“I think if we stay vigilant in what we are trained to do, we can ensure they aren’t collecting intelligence or trying to harm the base,” said Staff Sgt. Clayton Morris of the 506th ECES. “Terrorists have the ability to gain access to the base; it’s our job to monitor them to ensure they can’t gather information.”

However, with their cautiousness, escorts here must also render a certain amount of kindness.

“We are the first Americans they interact with. You’re out there for 10 to 12 hours a day. You get to know them,” said Airman 1st Class Shane Leary of the 506th ECES. “It’s important to build a rapport. I wanted to come to Iraq to help these people.”