Photo By Master Sgt. Rachelle Morris | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Malik Green, 452nd Civil Engineer Squadron, March Air...... read more read more
If the walls of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum's Hangar 79 could talk, they'd be the only ones left to recount the 85-minutes of pure chaos that reigned on December 7, 1941. With no witnesses to that day's events remaining, the bullet holes splattered across countless panes of glass remain a stark reminder of how fragile life is.
It is the dozens of museum staff who keep the memories of the 2,403 Pearl Harbor bombing victims alive. People like Ronald Montgomery, a Navy Veteran who served for 28 years as an aircraft mechanic, who continues to use his skills to keep the historic aircraft on display in mint condition.
Joining their ranks for ten weeks, are five two-week rotations of civil engineer Airmen selected by the Air Force Reserve Command Innovative Readiness Training (IRT). Their purpose -- to ensure the hangar receives much-needed repairs.
"With our buildings being both historical and old, they need a lot of renovation work," said Navy-Veteran Mark Houff, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum capital project liaison. "We thought the IRT was a unique opportunity because it was an ability for us to engage the military. There is also huge cost savings to us, and they get the benefit of the training, so it is a win-win."
By the completion of the project, the museum will receive $750,000 in fair-market value construction at no-cost and more than 150 Airmen will have priceless real-world training.
"This mission specifically aligns with the IRT program by providing hands-on training that folks won't get at home station," said Capt. Jeremiah Wiltron, Ford Island IRT officer in charge. "For those like the plumbers and electricians, we always have a struggle finding them off-base training."
However, for this mission, there is no shortage of work to be done.
"There is a total bathroom demo and remodel," Wiltron said. "Before we got here, it was only about 40% of the square footage it is now. We knocked down some walls, so we can open the space and almost triple their capacity."
They are also performing mezzanine upgrades to include three new stairwells and a balcony extension. Finally, the hangar will undergo an electrification upgrade to include numerous new outlets to support the vision for future interactive museum displays.
Civil Engineering isn’t the only service Air Force Reserve Command’s IRT team provides. They also perform medical, cybersecurity, and aerial spray services for U.S. communities in need.
For more information on IRT or how to apply for a mission, visit irt.defense.gov.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2024 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 476548 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 254 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Talking walls & bullet holes: Civil Engineers preserve history, by MSgt Rachelle Morris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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