Civil engineers benefit from F-117 deployment

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea --  Civil engineers are reaping the benefits of an air and space expeditionary force deployment of F-117 Nighthawks here.

Building and maintaining a home for about 300 Airmen from the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., has been a great training opportunity for the civil engineers, said Chief Master Sgt. Mark Brejcha, chief enlisted manager of the 8th Civil Engineer Squadron here.

It allows the engineers to sharpen and acquire new skills, but more importantly gives them the experience on what it is like to be part of an AEF rotation, the chief said. Airmen do not deploy while they are here because they are serving a one-year unaccompanied remote tour.

“I’m really impressed how our people handled the onslaught of challenges they faced during the buildup of tent city. We were tasked heavily,” Chief Brejcha said.

The AEF deployment here stretched the already thin ranks of civil engineers. Aside from supporting the deployment, civil engineers also handled daily calls from base customers. To ensure their operations went smoothly, civil engineers worked around the clock for about a week during the initial startup of tent city. The group connected miles of cables, constructed a water storage and distribution station, and upgraded the hot water boiler system.

“The most difficult part of this operation is the planning stage,” said Senior Master Sgt. Manny Lapuz, 8th CES infrastructure chief. “Knowing what kind of equipment we need or which generators we want to use is very important.”

Although concrete pads were already poured at tent city, it still took some time for the Airmen to erect the tents. Some of the equipment was pulled from WRM kits from other bases.

“We’ve never used some of these tools before,” Sergeant Lapuz said. “But we learned how to operate them quickly.”

Civil engineers here said they are used to hard work. They are accustomed to being dirty, sweaty and hot. But when the boiler at tent city blew up and the power went out at the same time Sergeant Lapuz said everyone in the squadron lent a hand.

“We had people out there who have never worked outside of their building (swinging) sledgehammers and (getting) their boots muddy to ensure the deployed troops (had) all the comforts of home,” he said.

Although the pace of their work has slowed down considerably since the arrival of the deployed Airmen almost two months ago, the team still does some “tweaking” to make sure everything is operating properly at tent city. Once in awhile, they check to ensure that the shower temperature is just right; not too cold or too hot. They also have a regular shift of craftsman checking generator fluid levels, portable toilets cleanliness and water tank levels.

“It’s a great feeling to know that we play an important role when we see those planes take off every day,” Chief Brejcha said. “Healthy and well-rested pilots and maintainers will help maximize their training and ensure safe flying here at Kunsan.”

The 49th FW visitors said Kunsan Airmen have done an excellent job to make them feel at home. Being deployed and living in tents is not always easy.

“We’re very impressed with the hospitality we’ve received here,” said Master Sgt. Gerald Bies, a lead production superintendent from Holloman. “This is one of the best tent cities I’ve seen.”

Aside from having a place to sleep, civil engineers built an entertainment tent for television and movies. They also built a permanent laundry facility. To lift morale, the civil engineers constructed a communication tent with telephones and Internet access so the deployed Airmen could contact home.

“Our mission is to fight in place,” Chief Brejcha said. “This deployment has taught us new ways and skills. Without a doubt, supporting these Holloman Airmen has greatly improved our combat capability.”