Civil engineers do whatever it takes to keep ‘em flying

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey
  • 455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  Airman 1st Class Aaron McDonald radios the air control tower for clearance to enter the runway. His mission: Break up five different 24-inch squares of damaged runway sections and put them back together again before the next aircraft takes off.

He has less than an hour to clear each one. Each damaged section repaired is one less safety hazard the pilots have to keep in mind during their takeoffs and landings.

Jack-hammers, generators and screwdrivers may seem out of place when talking about the flightline, but keeping the aircraft flying is the No. 1 priority of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group’s civil engineer flight here. Each heavy-equipment operator, structures craftsman, power production and electrical technician deployed here is called upon to fill a role for Operation Enduring Freedom that differs from the mission they conduct back home. Here, it is all about keeping the aircraft flying, whether it is through runway repairs or rehanging a B-hut door.

“It’s a running joke for us. Every time we fix a door hinge, we say we’re keeping the A-10 (Thunderbolt IIs) flying. But, the truth is, we are in a roundabout way because if a broken door is keeping a pilot from sleeping, it could become a flight-safety issue,” said Staff Sgt. Ricky Johnson, a heavy equipment journeyman deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.

Serving at Bagram AB’s Air Force sector, Camp Cunningham, differs from working back at home base in many ways for the CE people here. At his home station of Dover AFB, Del., Airman McDonald would call a contractor to repair the runway; however, here he has found his niche in doing runway repairs himself.

“I love being out there on the runway,” Airman McDonald said, “from the minute I begin jackhammering to the next minute when I get a call from air control telling me I have to rush off of the runway to allow aircraft to come in or fly out.”

Some jobs are contracted out such as plumbing, readiness, heating, ventilation and air conditioning functions, but even without these responsibilities, civil engineers maintain a full daily schedule doing jobs unique to contingencies.

Within the team’s first couple of weeks here, it has already repaired 41 spalls, which are damaged sections of runway in CE talk. It has also sealed cracks on about 10,000 linear feet of runway, built dirt-filled barriers, fixed bomb shelters and assisted with self-help living quarters improvements such as building shelves and repairing B-huts from doors to floors.

“Hooch help” is something extra the team does to help out the people assigned here and to augment contractors who cannot get to all the jobs, said 2nd Lt. Lloyd Mangaroo, the 455th CEF commander who is deployed from Dover AFB.

While making camp improvements, safety is a concern the flight takes seriously. Something as simple as digging can be a harrowing experience because of decades of land and civil wars throughout Afghanistan.

“There’s lots of [unexploded ordnance] out there; the teams have to keep their eyes open for all kinds of hazards,” said Master Sgt. Charmaine Regelman, the flight’s superintendent who is also from Dover AFB.

Improving the base to reduce and even eliminate safety hazards when possible is another flight goal. Already, the team has poured concrete foundations for supplies storage, a vehicle maintenance ramp and an electronics storage shed. During the next few months, there are plans to improve the walkway from the entry control point to the base’s main road, pour more concrete pads and foundations, pave a road to a taxiway and pave the sweeper storage yard road. This will prevent vehicle damage and save maintenance money and time.