Mildenhall staff sergeant, Beaumont native, manages individual equipment issue for Southwest Asia wing

Photo By Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun | Staff Sgt. Roneisha Williams is the NCO in charge of the individual equipment section at the base service store -- the Desert Depot -- of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. Here she is pictured, April 7. Williams is deployed from the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England, and her hometown is Beaumont, Texas.  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

04.10.2010

Story by Senior Airman Jenifer Calhoun 

380th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- On the Gulf Coast of the United States in Texas' Jefferson County is Staff Sgt. Roneisha Williams' hometown of Beaumont. Combining with Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont, they form the "Golden Triangle" of major industry. It may be because of that industriousness of her hometown area that drives Sergeant Williams continuously to work hard to keep the men and women of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing prepared for anything through supplying their individual equipment needs.

"My job is to make sure that Airmen assigned to the wing have the tools and uniform items they need to accomplish their mission," said Williams, who is the NCO in charge of the individual equipment section at the base service store - the "Desert Depot" - at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. "I do this by coordinating with vendors off base to bring supply items on base. I also orders supplies through the Enterprise Solution-Supply."

Williams is also a material management craftsman and her office is with the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. She is deployed from 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England. In her career field, she's required to maintain qualification in preparing and maintaining documentation and records associated with inventory management actions, her official Air Force job description shows. Her job skills also include issuing and transferring property, conducting inventories and segregating and preparing property for storage as well as identifying items and condition of property.

Material management Airmen like Williams have to maintain mandatory knowledge in basic mathematics, supply policies and procedures, Air Force property accounting, stock and inventory control, accountability and responsibility, principles of property accounting through manual or automated data processing, storage methods, warehouse control (receipt, issue, and disposal) and materiel handling techniques. They also must know methods of preparing and maintaining supply records, manual and automated supply accounting systems, logistics principles and interactions (supply, maintenance, transportation, and procurement), hazardous material and waste procedures; and supply management for contingency operations.

"Without my job, the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing would not have uniforms, office supplies, furniture or anything else that they use to accomplish their mission," Williams said.

Williams has been in the Air Force for about 10 and a half years and said she is proud she made the decision to join the Air Force and the military.

"I originally joined the Air Force just to see what it was like," Williams said. "I honestly joined out of curiosity. Ten years down the road, I'm still learning new things. I enjoy being part of an elite team. I've learned a lot from many of the professionals that I've had the opportunity to serve beside and will take those lessons with me throughout my lifetime.

"Military service is sort of a family thing," she added. "I have two older sisters -- one in the Air Force and one in the Army -- and a younger brother who just got out of the Air Force. As a matter of fact, I met my husband in the Air Force four years ago."

Williams said she's deployed five times now and has "enjoyed every single deployment."

"I feel like I've done a great job, especially while serving in Iraq in 2005," she said. "The hardest part of this job was leaving behind my then 10-month-old son while I deployed. My husband, Chris, is also currently deployed. He's at Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan. I'm blessed to have wonderful parents and in-laws that are able to care for my son though."

While business will continue to boom in her hometown area of the "Golden Triangle" of Texas, Williams said she will continue work hard and appreciate what her latest deployment experience has given her.

"Even though it's been hard for me, I'm glad that I went on this deployment because I've bonded with friends that I will keep in contact with for the rest of my life," Williams said.

The 380th ELRS is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

• Date Taken: 04.10.2010
• Date Posted: 04.10.2010 02:21
• Story ID: 47933
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)