This week’s #TeamPopeHighlight is Senior Airman Erick Ruiz-Smarth, 43rd Air Mobility Squadron aircraft service technician. Ruiz-Smarth was on the flight line when an Army tactical vehicle caught fire. Already having noticed the vehicle having issues starting, he jumped into action and grabbed a fire extinguisher from a nearby K-loader. Following previous training, he extinguished the fire. The fire did reignite, but he stayed calm and extinguished the second fire, possibly saving lives and nearby equipment.
Hobbies: Cars and Fishing
Hometown: Magnolia, N.C.
Reason for joining: Grow professionally and personally
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2026 14:22 |
| Photo ID: | 9593598 |
| VIRIN: | 260324-F-MT352-1012 |
| Resolution: | 7125x4857 |
| Size: | 8.82 MB |
| Location: | POPE AIR FORCE BASE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | MAGNOLIA, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 5 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Team Pope Highlight: Senior Airman Erick Ruiz-Smarth, by A1C Kourtney Ross, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
