Photo By Gianna Greben | From 13-27 July, members of the 349 CES conducted an annual tour at the Naval Support...... read more read more
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CE Weekly Submission by Ms Patricia Holloway //
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges around the world and across our Air Force. One of the most pressing challenges for the 349 AMW was how to accomplish regularly scheduled annual tours. During normal circumstances, training would be accomplished at home station, but bringing hundreds of Reserve Citizen Airmen to Travis AFB, California, posed a potential threat to active duty Airmen and the local community. Thus, training opportunities were temporarily limited to virtual participation for the vast majority of the wing.
To avoid gaps in training and participation points, the 349 CES found a way to tackle this problem head-on by securing a hands-on training experience at the Naval Support Activity Monterey (NSA Monterey), a military university more than 140 miles away. Since classes moved to an online format, the campus was nearly empty and there were several infrastructure projects put on hold. The 349 CES was qualified to execute numerous incomplete projects including fire abatement, updating base mapping, replacing a retaining wall, constructing new sidewalks and concrete pads, and making improvements to the pump house. Throughout the event, safety remained the number one priority. “All this hard work could be overshadowed with a single incident. I made sure to communicate this to the crew and we had zero mishaps,” said 2nd Lt Guy Hopes, OIC NSA Monterey job sites.
MSgt David Ghiglieri, NCOIC Heavy Equipment, said “Planning and execution were complicated by the uncertainty of world events, but with extra precautions and many hours of planning, we were able to complete training from 13-27 July, while helping out the Naval Support Activity Monterey.” Col Kenneth McGinnis, then 349 CES Commander, explained this arrangement was made possible through MSgt Ghiglieri’s personal connection and his previous experience executing an annual tour at the university two years prior. By fostering a good working relationship between the 349 CES and the NSA Monterey, MSgt Ghiglieri created a mutually beneficial training event.
The 2020 tour was successful thanks to several factors, including the search for training opportunities throughout the year, identification of opportunities outside the unit, and utilization of the previous year’s “lessons learned” report to leverage a professional network. The 349 CES completed all scheduled projects by the end of the two-week event, allowing the squadron to fulfill its annual tour obligation and support the Air Force mission despite COVID-19 challenges.
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2020 09:13 |
| Story ID: | 384352 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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