Photo By Senior Airman Antonio Salfran | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Megan Bivins, 54th Operational Support Squadron weather...... read more read more
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It’s a Sunday evening in late May of 2008, and things usually move slowly at this time of the week. Dad makes you a bowl of mac and cheese and serves it to you at the kitchen bar, facing the north window of your home. But something is off; something is different. When you sit to eat, you glance forward through the window and feel a knot form in your stomach as you watch an unrelenting black mass tear through your neighboring town of Parkersburg, Iowa. Your hands start to get cold, and so does your mac and cheese.
After the storm subsides, you hop into your dad's truck and head into town with him to make sure any nearby families are safe and accounted for. That’s where you get an up-close look at the catastrophic fallout created by an EF-5 tornado in under three minutes.
Most people can’t grasp what this feels like, but it was a defining moment for U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Megan Bivins, who lived it firsthand at seven years old. She recalls the day as a turning point, where fear and anxiety collided with curiosity and a newfound sense of purpose.
”I think that kind of sparked this fear about extreme weather, but also the need to understand and know more so I can protect my people the best way I can,” said Bivins.
Though she had dreamed of being a veterinarian since she was a young girl, after experiencing the Parkersburg–New Hartford tornado, she frequently searched for ways to understand the disaster and its impact. Her dream of becoming a veterinarian would compete with her steadily increasing interest in meteorology.
Fast-forward to 2018, Bivins finds herself accompanying her father and brother to an Air Force recruitment office in Waterloo, Iowa.
At the time, she was only there to support her brother, who was considering joining. However, the recruiter let her know the various benefits and paths she could take through the Air Force.
“My recruiter told me about the various jobs available in the Air Force, and for some reason, one of the careers we spoke about was weather,” she said. “They also told me the Air Force would pay for my school, so I thought, 'This is great—I can work in weather and still go to veterinary school.' So, I ended up putting weather at the top of my career list.”
Though the journey was far from straightforward, Bivins ultimately secured the job she had hoped for. After a few unexpected twists and a second chance to list her preferred career fields, she was thrilled to discover that she had been selected to be an enlisted weather specialist.
She went through tech school and then to her first duty station at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. Her career would require her to work as a staff weather officer supporting Army Air Operations, where she would have to work fast and be prepared to provide flyers with adequate weather information.
“I was completely trained up after two months; it was go, go, go!” Bivins said. “I was working with various helicopters, going on short duty tours to the Mojave Desert, and I even had to work transient mission set while on deployment.”
Regardless of the anxiety that came with keeping troops safe in a foreign land, that characteristic of keeping others protected allowed Bivins to excel at her job.
“We had a team of aircraft returning to base, but severe thunderstorms were rapidly closing in on the little gap of designated flight space we were allotted; they needed to get back quickly,” she said.
In this situation, Bivins says the weather's unpredictability can complicate things. Rather than letting that fear–the very same fear that found her in 2008–overtake her, she focuses on helping others.
She pulled up real-time satellite and radar data to check on weather patterns in that area and instructed the pilots on areas where the flight was safe. This required her to remain calm and have faith in herself and her pilot’s ability to navigate the dangerous situation properly.
“They were shooting the gap and weaving in and out of these thunderstorms; it was intense,” said Bivins. “I was trying to keep them from running into the hazards generated by the thunderstorms, like turbulence and lightning, and they got back safe and sound.”
Once the aircraft landed, the team welcomed them back to base.
“It’s fulfilling to know there are so many ways for me to use my knowledge to help others,” said Bivins.
At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Bivins serves as a weather journeyman for the 54th Operations Support Squadron. When she's not monitoring the forecast for pilots in training, she stays alert to storms rolling through central Iowa, knowing she can assist from afar.
She says she’ll pull up her radar application when severe thunderstorms are expected and check on everyone in her family. There have been times when she’s monitored radar for several hours after working all day, watching until the storms have passed to ensure everyone is safe.
“Earlier in September, I was at home, and my grandma and I were talking to each other,” said Bivins. “She told me she really appreciated those alerts I sent and that the warnings I sent get there before the tornado sirens go off.”
She also told Bivins that the likelihood of them going into the basement is very slim because the forecasts may be inaccurate. However, she'll prepare once she gets her granddaughter's alert text or call.
At Holloman, Bivins is focused on keeping training pilots safe. She finds contentment in New Mexico and often reflects on her journey.
“I’m only 23, and I’ve already experienced so much,” she said. “Some of it scared me, which I’ve had to deal with. But that’s normal—it’s all part of the human experience, you know? Fear, anxiety, all of it. There’s nothing wrong with having those feelings. Don’t let them shut you down; let them drive you forward.”
In life, you’ll face storms—some powerful enough to leave destruction in their wake. But by focusing on what you can control, you’ll discover purpose and, through that purpose, the strength to rebuild, emerging stronger than before.
That’s what Megan Bivins did.
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2024 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 485312 |
| Location: | HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Hometown: | DIKE, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 389 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Weathering the storm – Senior Airman Bivins, by SrA Antonio Salfran, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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