Photo By Senior Airman Victoria Nuzzi | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ariel O’Shea, 432nd Security Forces Squadron augmentee,...... read more read more
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At the end of October 2023, I learned I would learn a new kind of shooting, trading my camera in for a firearm.
I was chosen to represent the Wing Staff as an augmentee to the 432nd Security Squadron at Creech AFB, Nevada, for 120 days. I immediately received reactions ranging from encouragement to sympathy. The latter stems from the fact that Security Forces has a relatively negative reputation as one of the more challenging career fields. The hours are long, and the work is as unglamorous as anything can be in the Air Force. It would be a massive change from what I was used to as a Public Affairs Specialist.
From the onset, I was nervous and excited. I had the utmost respect for the Defenders at Creech. My motivation behind volunteering to get tased back when I documented Police Week 2022 was to show my appreciation and express solidarity for the continual sacrifices that they make every day. The apprehension came from knowing how much it would test me mentally.
In my PA duties, I have worked with the 432nd SFS multiple times in different capacities. Whether I get the call to take incident photos, participate in a base-wide exercise, or accompany local community members on a tour to watch a military working dog demonstration, SFS members have always assisted my colleagues and me with grace and professionalism.
Now, my appreciation has progressed to sheer awe. I had no idea how much strength it takes to wake up every morning and, in most cases, because most personnel live in Las Vegas, drive an hour to work, arm up, and get ready to be the first line of defense against all threats.
I and the other augmentees received training before arriving to flight in a tremendously abridged version of classes that Defenders receive in technical training. We were instructed on armed use of force conditions, qualified on lethal and non-lethal weapons, and went in-depth on the dangers of bloodborne pathogens. Shooting was the most fun. I owe a lot to our combat arms instructors. Their patience and technical knowledge made everything run smoothly. I have to note this because you only know when a CATM instructor does a bad job and takes for granted when they do a good job when no one gets injured or dies.
Initially, I feared I’d be met with some resentment when I got to flight. After all, most Airmen know Public Affairs erroneously as the job where people ‘just run social media and take photos.’ That’s understandable since we’re not a large representative sample of the Air Force. I could not have been more wrong. Well, not in the sense that I ran into that notion about my AFSC, but the Airmen in my flight could not have been more welcoming and gracious. They were pleased to receive our help and were grateful that we deferred to them and were willing to learn. For Defenders E-4 and below, it was a unique leadership opportunity. They were the experts, and all augmentees needed their instruction—from the Airman Basics to the Captains.
From what I gathered, being open to listening to someone who may be lower ranking than you but who knows more is the best way to conduct yourself as an augmentee. An Airman I spoke to who expressed that he didn’t have a good experience with them at a previous base said it was because some of them did not respond well to direction from an actual trained Defender. I advise anyone participating in this program to be a team player and take instruction from more knowledgeable individuals.
The flights were the entity that I previously interacted with the least, as their work rarely crossed my path. Many of the posts are static—the Base Defense Operations Center, the gate, the Commercial Vehicle Inspection area, and others—and I hadn’t had the opportunity to encounter them truly. Now, I’ve gotten to know them and understand them. I intend to get their voices heard in any way I can. That actually is a big part of my job.
Every day brings something new. Creech doesn’t see as much ‘action’ as other bases due to our lack of base housing, a base exchange or a commissary. That’s not to say that nothing ever happens; it’s only that the nature of the operation is different. I have been on multiple patrols that were quiet for hours… until they weren’t. I have rushed to respond to calls and took part in countless exercises.
The best thing about this is that Defenders train how they fight. Nothing can be taken lightly because anything can happen. Case in point—a Creech Airman was carjacked on the way to work, and my flight had to secure the base. Fridays are usually quiet, which that one was until it wasn’t. Because of my flight’s preparedness, I didn’t fear anything for a single instant. I knew that we would handle the situation if it became more dangerous.
At first, I worried that being an augmentee would stifle my ability to have an impact on others. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that having that can often manifest in small ways. One morning, I noticed that one of my flight mates seemed down. After guard mount, I took that person aside and spoke privately with them. It was nothing more or less than what I would have done for anyone, but that person made a point of thanking me for doing that later and that it turned the tide of their whole day. Nothing could ever mean more to me than that.
It wouldn’t be fair to leave out the effect of being an augmentee on my personal development. A Captain I previously interviewed about his remarkable Air Force journey advised that augmentee duty would be an excellent opportunity for me to continue my education. I already have a Bachelor’s degree, so I enrolled in graduate school and am proud to say that I have completed a decent portion of a Master’s. I’m proud that I will return with tangible achievements to show and new friendships. I owe everyone I was posted with on my flight a tremendous debt for helping me get to where I needed to go to get my work done during duty hours.
Without this experience, I never would have seen beyond the surface of what makes a Security Forces Defender interesting and inimitable. I would never have encountered an Airman from the Dominican Republic who can run dispatch with precision, and whose favorite book is Homer’s The Odyssey. I never would have gotten to know the Airman who knows nothing about football, but will support you by cheering for your favorite team louder than you do. When else would I have met Tech. Sgt. Cody Jarrett or Staff Sgt. Braylon Barnett, two incomparable NCOs who made me feel like part of the team and answered any question I had? I am grateful for them. I’m thankful for all of it.
Still, after scanning Common Access Cards in the snow and staring down Military Working Dogs, I would much rather wield a Sony than a Sig Sauer and leave base defense to the experts.
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2024 17:19 |
| Story ID: | 461845 |
| Location: | CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 442 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From shutter clicks to trigger pulls: my journey as a Security Forces augmentee, by SrA Ariel OShea, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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