Spouses in arms

Photo By Airman 1st Class Erin Baxter | Tech. Sgt. Carla Villarreal, a 126th Wisconsin Air National Guard In-Flight Refueling Specialist, operates a boom in an aircraft on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Jan. 23, 2020. Villarreal’s main job is an In-Flight Refueling Specialist, in which she refuels aircraft during crucial missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Erin Baxter)  

JBPHH, HI, UNITED STATES

01.27.2020

Story by Airman 1st Class Erin Baxter 

15th Wing

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii—At 5 a.m., before the sun rises over the Koolau mountain range, Tech. Sgt. Carla Villarreal, an emigrant from St. Lucia and a 128th Air Refueling Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard, In-Flight Refueling Specialist, arrives at the flightline a half-hour before the aircrew gets to the Aircraft Hangar.
“I moved to the United States in April 2001 from St. Lucia,” said Villarreal. “My dad was in the U.S. Army Reserves and I remember when 9/11 happened. He was activated for 4 years after that and I felt so proud of him. I knew that I wanted to be a part of the military after that moment.”
Villarreal is in Hawaii to participate in Exercise Sentry Aloha, which is dedicated to training pilots and aircrew members in combat scenarios. Sentry Aloha has been a staple of JBPHH for over 20 years, keeping a tradition alive and enabling combat-ready forces to combatant commanders.
For this exercise, she has taken on a new challenge as a one of the mission planners. It’s her job to ensure the aircraft have crews assigned and are scheduled accordingly for the scenarios.
“I like that it’s something a little different every day,” she said. “The airplanes that we fly are 60 years old, so there’s always a new challenge.”
This is Villarreal’s first Sentry Aloha, which is an amazing experience that she gets to enjoy alongside her husband, Staff Sgt. Corey Villarreal, a 128th Maintenance Squadron maintainer, who is also a participant in Sentry Aloha.
“Being a dual military family can be difficult, but in our situation we have a mutual understanding of the environment and lifestyle that our careers require,” said Staff Sgt. Corey Villarreal.
Not only did they get the chance to come to Hawaii together, but they also work different jobs on the same aircrafts here, as well as back home.
As young Airmen, they met on the plane to tech school from basic training and years later they’re married, have a child and work closely with each other.
For her efforts in this year’s Sentry Aloha, she was awarded the Outstanding Performer award.
“Carla has gone above and beyond any expectation I had for her while she was out here on her first staff tour, and we could not have been as effective or provided as much training to our receivers if she had not been here,” said Captain Brandyn Dietman, 128 Air Refueling Wing Operations Scheduling Chief and Pilot, as well as Tech. Sgt. Villarreal’s supervisor.

• Date Taken: 01.27.2020
• Date Posted: 01.27.2020 15:16
• Story ID: 360539
• Location: JBPHH, HI, US