Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Heaton | A tribal elder from the Cherokee Nation demonstrates how to play a game of marbles to...... read more read more
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The families of several veterans in Oklahoma will receive new housing, thanks in part to work performed this summer by three dozen Citizen-Airmen of the Michigan Air National Guard.
The Michigan Airmen, from the 127th Civil Engineer Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, spent two weeks working in the Cherokee Nation near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. They were assigned to the Cherokee Veterans Housing Initiative, a three-year project that saw multiple rotations of military National Guard and Reserve units visit the Cherokee Nation to provide construction assistance on the project.
During the initiative, the Nation provided the materials and the military provided the manpower to build 21 houses. The project provided benefit to each party, with the tribe gaining housing for local veterans in need and the military units gaining needed hands-on training for its construction teams.
“This deployment for training provides an opportunity we just can’t get at home station,” said Major Andrew Matejek, 127th CES commander. “Our Airmen are stepping up and accomplishing an important project for our partners in the Cherokee Nation, while at the same time gaining valuable cross-training opportunities that help them to be the Multi-Capable Airmen we need in today’s Air Force.”
Over the course of the summer, seven different Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Civil Engineer squadrons will rotate through the project in two-week increments, working on transforming a vacant lot into a two- or three-bedroom single-family home. During two of the rotations, a Canadian Armed Forces unit supported the effort as well. In years 1 and 2 of the project, in the summers of 2021 and 2022, Army National Guard and Reserve, Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve units participated as well.
“In all, we are building $3.6 million worth of housing during this third phase,” said 1st Lt. Benjamin Carlisle, a member of the 116th Civil Engineer Squadron from the Georgia Air National Guard, who has been serving as part of the duration staff, spending the whole summer of 2023 at the job site. “Having all these different units work together provides an opportunity too for our teams to get the experience of working together to coordinate the work flow.”
During the deployment for training, which was a part of the Dept. of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training program, the Selfridge Guardsmen conducted just over 3,000 total manhours of training, with more than half of that as cross-training, when an individual works outside of his or her own specific skill set, such as a heavy equipment operator assisting with carpentry work.
“The cross-training allows each Airman to gain an appreciation for what others on the team are doing and also strengthens the team as a whole, when anyone can jump in and lend a hand where needed,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jeremy Webber, who served as the operations lead for the 127th CES.
The Michigan Guardsmen spent two weeks working on the project, followed by a day in which they visited the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, Oklahoma. There, the Airmen were given a brief overview of Cherokee history and participated in several traditional Cherokee sporting events including archery, an outdoor game known as marbles and stickball, a team sport somewhat similar to lacrosse.
The 127th CES is a subordinate unit of the 127th Wing, based at Selfridge. The squadron provides fire protection, emergency response, facilities engineering and operation support, infrastructure and environmental management services to the wing and to the base.
| Date Taken: | 06.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2023 10:09 |
| Story ID: | 447785 |
| Location: | OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 257 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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