Photo By Mackenzie Brooks | Rank at Retirement/Date of Separation: MSgt, separated March 2013 AFSC: 3E2X1 Years...... read more read more
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Rudy Moreno
Rank at Retirement/Date of Separation: MSgt, separated March 2013
AFSC: 3E2X1
Years Served: 20
Current Occupation: Engineering Technician for Marine Corp Base Camp Pendleton
I was assigned to the career field 3E2X1, Heavy Construction Equipment and Pavements Specialist, or “Dirt Boyz.” This career field was given to me as my second option at the recruiting office. I chose this career field because I thought it would be cool to operate real life “Tonka Toys.” I served from February 1993 through March 2013, when I retired with the rank of Master Sergeant. I was a founding member of the Assault Assessment and Repair Operations Team. Our team's main objective was to air insert ourselves by helicopter using rappel or fast rope techniques while conducting sling load operations to bring in our heavy equipment to repair battle-damaged airfields and quickly re-open a Forward Operating Base during combat.
I was stationed at multiple duty stations such as; March AFB, California, Osan AB, Republic of Korea, Lackland AFB, Texas, Howard AFB, Panama, Eglin AFB, Florida, and Nellis AFB, Nevada. While stationed at these bases, I had the opportunity to participate in multiple campaigns including U.S. Southern Command’s Counter-Insurgency Drug Task Force, Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Q: What was your most memorable deployment and why?
A: My most memorable deployment was when I participated in Operation Provide Comfort, assigned to Incirlik AB, Turkey. Our mission was to set up a tent city for the hundreds of Kurdish refugees fleeing Northern Iraq. What made this deployment memorable was that after we completed our mission, we had the opportunity to visit local castles that were built during the Ottoman Empire. I also got to visit the Church of Saint Peter, a cave on the side of Mount Starius. This is one of the oldest churches known to man.
Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in joining Air Force CE?
A: My advice to anyone interested in joining CE is to be ready to work your butt off physically. Besides our Air Power, CE is the tip of the spear in any natural disaster relief or real-world conflict. We are problem solvers who provide leadership and technical capabilities that no other career field can. The knowledge you will obtain in any CE career field is PRICELESS. This is why Civil Engineers are in very high demand as project managers across many private and public sectors.
Q: What do you miss the most about your time serving?
A: Besides the hard work we put in across the globe as CE members, the camaraderie you build with your fellow team members is undeniable. Before my military service, I did not have the most extraordinary family life. After enlisting, the word “family” gained an entirely different meaning to me. The bonds and brotherhood you build with your military family are more than any blood relation. Those who serve together will understand the true meaning of brotherhood. It is all about the person who has your back and whose back you have, even after retirement.
Q: What is the most impactful project you worked on during your time in CE?
A: As an Air Force Civil Engineer, I was proud to be a founding member of the first-ever Airborne/Air Assault RED HORSE program. This was a vision of then Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. Instead of using traditional convoys to deploy engineers and equipment into remote locations, our new Airborne/Air Assault RED HORSE team would be inserted into remote, austere locations by parachute or air assault helicopters. This was a considerable achievement and game changer for the CE community regarding how we planned for and executed wartime operations.
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2022 12:52 |
| Story ID: | 432663 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 397 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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