PRASG Conduct Inspections At VING Facilities

Photo By Sgt. Juanita Philip | Nine members of the 1st Air Base Group-Puerto Rico Air State Guard spent a week on island travelling to the different installations and offices to conduct visual inspections and minor repairs to the facilities on St. Croix. The team spent a productive week conducting visual inspections and repairs to all VING facilities. They toured the buildings with VING Construction and Facility Management Office staff offering suggestions for repairs and maintenance.  

ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS, US

08.18.2016

Story by Sgt. Juanita Philip 

Virgin Islands National Guard, 51st Public Affairs Detachment

1st Air Base Group-Puerto Rico Air State Guard provided general facility maintenance, renovation and sprucing up for the Virgin Islands National Guard on St. Croix, Aug. 11 through 16.

Nine members of the PRSG spent a week on island travelling to the different installations and offices to conduct visual inspections and minor repairs to the facilities on St. Croix.

“Our annual training this year, and for the first time ever in the history of the Puerto Rico State Guard Air Force, was here on St. Croix for one week,” said 1st Lt. Alexander DeJesus, commander of the 1ABG-PRSG.

“We are here to conduct minor repairs and troubleshoot systems, replace lights, plumbing, electrical work, generator maintenance and spruce up the buildings.”

The team spent a productive week conducting visual inspections and repairs to all VING facilities. They toured the buildings with VING Construction and Facility Management Office staff offering suggestions for repairs and maintenance.

“We made some repairs to the Aviation facility roof, fixed doors at the Joint Force Headquarters building, conducted inspections of all buildings on designated days and even washed windows at the headquarters,” said DeJesus.

Although the mission was shortened the team is proud of all they accomplished in the time they were here.

“Our goals were to accomplish every task on our list that was sent to us. Originally we had one week of training, it got cut to five days, but we covered 90 percent of the projects,” DeJesus said with pride.

In its 50 years of service the PRSG have never left Puerto Rico to conduct missions in other countries.

DeJesus stated that he hoped to come back again to assist the VING, but also to reconnect with people that they had worked with here.

“It’s a good place with nice people, this was a great experience for us. We have never deployed, so this was a change of pace.”

“I will express my wishes with my chain of command on the pleasure we gained from helping the people here,” he added.

The PRSG is the state’s controlled branch of the Puerto Rico National Guard and assumes the state mission of the PRNG in the event the National Guard is mobilized.

It is the main unit of the Air State Defense Force of the Military Forces of Puerto Rico that operates under the sole authority of the governor of Puerto Rico who, in turn, delegates such authority to the PR adjutant general and to the commanding general of the PRSG.

• Date Taken: 08.18.2016
• Date Posted: 08.19.2016 16:40
• Story ID: 207725
• Location: ST. CROIX, VI