Photo By Jerry Hewitt | Airman 1st Class Amanda Calcano, Staff Sgt. Kelsey Robare and Staff Sgt. Angelica...... read more read more
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BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Massachusetts- Three women made history when they stepped onto the flight line for the first time as a team loading weapons onto an F-15 aircraft, January 10, 2025, at the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Mass. These women finished their certifications for this load crew team in December 2024.
Staff Sgt. Angelica Mendez Herrerra, 104th Fighter Wing Weapons, stresses that the success of their mission is dependent on the team’s ability to work together as a cohesive unit.
"The most important part of my job is working as a team. In this career field, we rarely work alone; we're always part of a crew of three," said Mendez Herrerra. "I believe that if we stick together and look out for one another, we can overcome any obstacle and achieve our goals. Teamwork is essential in our line of work, and it's what makes our crew strong and effective."
Airman 1st Class Amanda Calcano, Staff Sgt. Kelsey Robare and Staff Sgt. Angelica Mendez Herrerra all joined the Air National Guard for different reasons and brought various experiences with them. Airman 1st Class Calcano has been with the unit for a year. She joined when she was 25 and has always wanted to join since she was 14.
"I started doing JROTC in high school and loved it. I learned to love the structure and discipline that doing military duties had brought me. With over 1,300 hours of community service throughout my high school career, I also discovered what it means to really serve my community, and I knew I wanted to continue serving," said Calcano. "I decided to attend a military college, Norwich University, where I was taught more forms of discipline and what it takes to be a leader. I was surprised with how much I was able to push myself. I knew the sky was the limit, and I spoke to a recruiter as soon as I graduated. I'm proud to now be part of the Barnes community."
Staff Sgt. Kelsey Robare enlisted at age 19 and has been with the unit for six years. Her stepfather, a prior Army guardsman, suggested she might like this career.
"After a lot of research, I chose Weapons because it seemed like the most exciting job. Not only do I get to work on fighter jets, but I also get to load missiles and 20mm bullets into it," said Robare. "After touring multiple shops, the members of Weapons were the most welcoming, most passionate about their career field and seemed like the most fun. Six years later, my closest friends are members of this shop."
Staff Sgt. Angelica Mendez Herrerra also joined at age 19 and has been with the unit for seven years.
"I chose to join the military because I wanted to serve my country while also having the opportunity to further my education," said Mendez Herrerra. "I chose this career field because it's so unique to the military."
The three women have worked in the same shop for approximately 1 month, though not on the same team. Each person has separate responsibilities, but when they are together, they have strong communication and awareness of each other to make the team work effectively.
"The most important part of my job is having situational awareness while loading and making sure that everybody on the spot is safe during loading operations," said Robare.
This team, who came together for the first time, accomplished what they were trained to do: load a reliable, combat-ready F-15 aircraft proficiently, safely, and in a timely manner.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2025 11:59 |
| Story ID: | 490536 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 212 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 104th Fighter Wing certifies new weapons crew, by Melanie Casineau, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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