Civil Engineer Squadron breaks ground, begins constructing training facility

LINCOLN, NE, UNITED STATES

05.05.2012

Story by Senior Airman Mary Thach 

155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard

LINCOLN, Neb. – The 155th Civil Engineer Squadron put their hands and heads together to develop a hands-on training project, building a new training facility on the Nebraska National Guard base to teach airmen every aspect of the engineering career field, May 5, in Lincoln, Neb.

Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Daehling, Civil Engineer Operations Superintendent, said this facility will be an on base joint-use skills training building. Daehling said this is an opportunity for airmen to receive more regular training because the facility will be on base.

Airmen often have to travel off base to receive training in simulated environments to stay current on their skills. Having the airmen build the facility from the ground up provides an opportunity to practice their skills to create a structure to help others and themselves in the future.

First Lt. Ryan Watson, an engineering officer said the focus of this project was an effort for CE to construct a building incorporating all engineering trades, and to cross train the airmen to learn the other engineering skills.

“As the evolution of this project is going to continue, some of those shops are going to be tasked pretty heavily,” said Watson. “The idea is, everybody else who may have kind of a down drill, it’s going to be all hands on deck. We are going to pull everybody on and get some cross AFSC training.”

Watson said the squadron deploys often, but rarely as an entire unit. He expressed his excitement of being able to train the entire squadron on one project.

“The one thing we are taking away from this is a singular project we can all work on together,” said Watson. ”That is very rare anywhere, given the types of things we have to accomplish, Not a lot of projects or environments where we can all be together.”

Maj. Barry Veen, CE commander, said this project is designed to challenge the airmen to gain core AFSC training, officers to draw the plans, senior non commissioned officers to collect building materials, maintain their shops, and manage the project all at the same time. Veen said this project will only be in operation during drill weekends, so the challenge will be on-going.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do and my guys are up to the task to do it,” said Veen. “I know they will get it done in good fashion like they always do. My role in this is providing the opportunity for these guys to get some good training. That’s what I’m here to do.”

Veen said this structure will provide a training facility for the Fire Department to do search and rescue, smoke training, and recovery and extraction, while it will allow security forces to do breech training and combat training.

Col. Richard J. Evans III, commander of the 155th Air Refueling Wing, gave an overview of the project being cost efficient and an excellent training opportunity for all levels and facets of the CE squadron.

“The concept is to give us an opportunity to do training on the base, which is good, because we don’t have to go someplace, and it doesn’t cost us a lot,” said Evans.

“What a great way to use the space, to use the equipment we already have here, and the expertise of our airmen to do something that is fun,” said Evans. “It practices their actual skills they would have to use, whether on a federal or state mission. To see it go up on the base and be able to use it for a training ground, we jumped on it right away and said ‘Let’s go for it.’”

• Date Taken: 05.05.2012
• Date Posted: 06.03.2013 11:41
• Story ID: 107957
• Location: LINCOLN, NE, US