GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - With nearly 200 hours of professional development spread among a 24-person unit, stationed here for only six-months, it is amazing anyone has had a chance to get to know the members of the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Prime Base Emergency Engineer Force 17.
However, at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, it seems as though most Joint Task Force Guantanamo troopers know a Prime BEEF member or two. This may be because of the nearly 800 hours of volunteer time logged by the small unit, in addition to their day-to-day jobs. Prime BEEF 18 steps into support the JTF as Prime BEEF 17 passes the guidon and prepares to depart. Both the guidon and responsibility were passed at a change of command ceremony at Camp Justice on Jan. 12.
“The standard you have set will be difficult to maintain,” said incoming Prime BEEF 18 commander, Air Force Lt. Col. Frederick H. Thomas, during his speech at the ceremony. “Over the past week I’ve observed the relationships, unit cohesion and respect you have earned around the JTF and I’m amazed at what has been accomplished in six months.”
The outgoing Prime BEEF 17 commander, Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher L. Gant, spoke of his unit and sang their praises, calling them the standard against which future Prime BEEF teams would be measured.
“I’ve found that in this short time, I’ve grown to be very close to the members of Prime BEEF 17,” said Gant. “You’ve proven to be a very skilled and motivated team of talented individuals who work diligently to improve the world around you.”
In attendance were many of the Prime BEEF 17 friends, co-workers and special guests, Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Burkett, the JTF deputy commander, as well as Air Force Col. James T. Sheedy, commander of the 612th Theater Operations Group, Headquarters Twelfth Air Force, from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
“BEEF 18, your task is laid out ... Your mission here is not just a priority for the Department of Defense, it’s an important priority for the people of the U.S.,” said Sheedy.
Burkett echoed this sentiment and added, without the Prime BEEF’s hard work and support, the JTF could not make its mission happen, owing facility maintenance and infrastructure repair to Prime BEEF teams.
“(Prime) BEEF 18 you do have big shoes to fill, but I have no doubt that you will fill them well,” said Burkett. “Civil engineers all come from the same mold; hard working, dedicated and professional.” Some of the Prime BEEF 17’s highlights included extensive road repairs after Hurricane Joaquin, the building of a back deck for the Camp America Liberty Center and the installation of a parking lot for the JTF. Thomas added that while Prime BEEF 17 did indeed set a high bar, he believes that Prime BEEF 18 will be up to the challenge of meeting and even surpassing their predecessors by following just a few simple tenants.
“My goals for BEEF 18 are simple; readiness both mentally and physically, proper care of equipment to sustain the mission and quality of service,” said Thomas. “I believe meeting these goals will result in a zero fail mission.”
Regardless of whether Prime BEEF 18 meets the standard set by Prime BEEF 17 or surpasses it, one thing is for sure; JTF troopers have an engineer team dedicated to their mission, poised to go above and beyond for their fellow service members.
| Date Taken: |
01.22.2016 |
| Date Posted: |
03.01.2016 10:50 |
| Story ID: |
190628 |
| Location: |
GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: |
90 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Prime BEEF: Changing faces doesn’t mean slowing down, by SGT Charlie Helmholt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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