Guam Air National Guard NCO, Barrigada native, provides support for MWR ops in Southwest Asia

Photo By Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun | Nine deployed members of the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron deployed from the Guam Air National Guard's 254th Force Support Squadron at Anderson Air Base, Guam, (one person not shown) are serving up 30-mile wide smiles, the length of the island where they hail from, and sharing their island ways with the 1,900 Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors who are deployed to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

06.03.2010

Story by Senior Airman Jenifer Calhoun 

380th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Tech. Sgt. Patrick Toves is a services craftsman deployed to the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron at a non-disclosed base here.

Toves is an Air National Guard Airman deployed from the 254th Force Support Squadron at Anderson Air Base, Guam. His hometown is Barrigada, Guam. As a services craftsman with the 380th EFSS, Sergeant Toves supports the morale, welfare, fitness and recreation of more than 1,900 deployed service members for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing.

In the 380th EFSS, services support programs range a myriad of areas and Toves has to be ready to support any one of them. According to his official Air Force job description, services Airmen like Sergeant Toves manage and direct services programs, operations and retail operations. They supervise and work in appropriated fund food service and lodging activities, recreation, fitness and sports programs, linen exchange operations, mortuary affairs programs, honor guard teams, and services readiness programs.

In managing services operations, Airmen like Toves help improve work methods and procedures to ensure economic operation and customer satisfaction. They also resolve complaints, apply accounting principles to control resources, determine appropriated and non-appropriated fund budget requirements, and requisitions and accounts for subsistence, supplies and equipment needed to support services programs -- to name a few.

Furthermore, services Airmen like Toves also identify facility requirements and conduct surveys to determine facility renovation, construction and modernization needs, the job description states. They also establish and supervise bare-base facilities that provide food, fitness, lodging, sports management, recreation, laundry, mortuary services and field exchange operations to deployed personnel.

In performing their deployed duties, the job description shows services Airmen like Toves operate fixed, bare-base and portable food facilities and equipment. They plan, prepare and adjust menus and they determine resource availability, pricing and merchandise trends as well as carrying the ability to trains unit fitness monitors to conduct unit fitness evaluations.

In all the services functions, Toves has to maintain mandatory job knowledge in areas such as accounting procedures, management principles, merchandising, marketing, automated information systems, food service facility operations, subsistence management, requisition and issue procedures, menu planning and lodging operations, the job description states.

The 380th EFSS 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: 06.03.2010
• Date Posted: 06.03.2010 00:59
• Story ID: 50746
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)