Soldier Profile: Sgt. Andrea Bills

Photo By Sgt. George Welcome | Sgt. Andrea Bills poses in Afghanistan while suited up for duty.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

09.05.2008

Story by Sgt. George Welcome 

101st Combat Aviation Brigade

By Spc. George Welcome
101st Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Possibly more than any other organization, the Army excels at offering Soldiers opportunities to try new and exciting things. One Soldier answered the brigade's call to fill a needed slot, and found a rewarding new job.

Sgt. Andrea Bills, who serves as a door gunner with Company A, 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regt. was originally assigned to 96th Aviation Support Battalion as a 63 J (Quartermaster and Chemical equipment repairer).

"I chose to become a repairer because it was something I didn't know anything about," said Bills, a native of Shamokin, Pa. "I had never picked up a tool in my life except for a hammer and screwdriver so I wanted to challenge myself, that's why I chose the job."

As deployment drew nearer, there was a need to qualify more Soldiers for positions as door gunners and crew chiefs. Upon hearing this news, Bills took the chance to accept yet another challenge.

"Every battalion was being asked for volunteers to become door gunners and crew chiefs for the deployment," said Bills. "I heard about it through the grapevine, and I asked if I could go to the classes. Once I made it through the aerial gunnery and all the tables, I was sent to alpha company. I love being a mechanic, but I also love being a door gunner because it is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, and something I would never be able to do in the civilian world."

Life as a door gunner has proven to be quite exciting, and very busy. There is a daily mission schedule, as well as unexpected events that she must remain ready for.

"I get to go out on missions pretty much every day. Right now I'm on med chase [medevac escort], which has a 24 hour on off shift and you're always on call. Normally the schedule differs; they try to give us time off every other day. When a lot of people are on leave you'll pretty much fly every day."

"The most exciting thing I get to do since being here are the deliberate operations," explained Bills. "There was an operation on my day off, and the first sergeant came knocking on my door and told me I had 20 minutes to get ready for the operation. On the mission we dropped off the Pathfinders and the Afghan soldiers out to a site where a UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] crashed. We dropped them off where it landed and waited for them to finish, once they were done, we came to pick them up. It was a night mission and the first time I got to wear the night vision goggles."

Another unexpected challenge Bills has to face is not being able to be more involved with the upkeep of the aircraft.

"We can't do too much being door gunners, we can't do a lot of the maintenance work, so it's kind of hard watching your buddies work, when all you can do is hand them tools."

Once her time in service has ended, Bills would like to go back to college to study Psychology. She wants to become a therapist and specialize in helping service members. In the meantime, she hopes to continue to have great experience while here in Afghanistan.

"I would like for the sense of camaraderie I have with my new family, the Warlords to grow," she said. "Things are coming together great, we are a good family; I also like to make sure that all my friends from 96th are okay, and that all my Soldiers get home safely."

• Date Taken: 09.05.2008
• Date Posted: 09.05.2008 01:54
• Story ID: 23224
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF