Photo By Barry Bena | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Mower, a cable and antenna systems craftsman with the...... read more read more
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The 202d Engineering and Installation Squadron, 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, has traveled the world setting up communications infrastructures to meet the Air Force mission and goals. They have traveled to Puerto Rico to assist the Air National Guard’s 156th Wing after Hurricane’s Maria and Irma with setting up communications and data platform in a new hardened multi-use facility. They’ve traveled to Agadez, Niger where Airmen laid approximately 7,000 feet of fiber-optic cabling and almost four miles of conduit during the stand up of Air Base 201, one of the largest construction efforts ever for the Air Force.
Their current mission brings them a little closer to home. They currently have 20 Airmen at Fort Stewart, Georgia, setting up communications infrastructure at the Georgia Army National Guard’s Georgia Garrison Training Center.
The purpose of the training center is to provide year-round administrative, engineering, logistical, training, and operational support to assigned, attached, transient or tenant units, and joint forces activities for up to brigade-sized elements. Additionally, they conduct sustained operations in support of federal or state-declared emergencies.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Mower, a 202d EIS cable and antenna systems craftsman, is also the team chief nominee, or foreman, of this project. Mower, under the guidance of Master Sgt. Scott Dawson, is in charge of the entire project, the equipment, and the safety and wellbeing of his teammates on, and off duty.
We sat down with Mower to get a little insight on his process to becoming a team chief and the project at Fort Stewart to bring the training center online.
Q) Tell us a little about this project?
A) This project is for the Georgia Garrison Training Center. We’ve got 20 people setting eight handholds. We’ll run about 8,000 feet of fiber-optic cabling into 10 different buildings that will allow them to run telephones and provide computer access. The project will entail about 1,600-1,700 feet of conduit, as well as 350 feet of concrete to stabilize the conduits for support when vehicles drive over them as well as for the parking lots.
Q) Has this project been any less or more difficult that some other recent projects?
A) It’s pretty par-for-the course. This is exactly, day-in-day-out, what the cable dawgs do. Really, the only thing that does make this difficult is the heat in August in Georgia.
Q) Dealing with heat, humidity and the amount of work how has the crew morale been?
A) The camaraderie these folks have is something special. We help each other out and look out for each other. We can tell when someone is getting tired so someone will say, “hey, take a break, I’ve got it from here!” It’s something special.
Q) The goal date for completion is 28 August 2020. How is progress going?
A) Well, currently we’re about 85 percent done so we are rocking and rollin! Fortunately, the weather is cooperating with us as well so we are ahead of schedule so we’re pleased we still have an extra week on the back end to correct any potential problems that may come up before turning it over to the customer.
Q) What kind of cost savings will the Government realize by keeping this job “in house”?
A) I would have to say at around $500,000. Reason I say that is, on average, a contractor charges about $38 a splice. We are doing around 300 splices, so if you do the math that’s a lot of money, and that’s just the splicing! Once you add in the conduit, trenching, the asphalt and concrete, it definitely adds up.
Q) How tough is the process to becoming a certified team chief?
A) It’s about a 2-2.5-year process that typically begins once you make staff sergeant (E5). We have a team chief nominee program here where you’ll have certain tasks you need to complete to be a team chief. You have to go on a couple of jobs to shadow a certified team chief as well; they won’t just “feed you to the dogs,” so to speak. Once they feel you’re ready they’ll send you on a qualification job and if you pass you’re in.
Q) What made you want to become a team chief?
A) In my civilian job I am a supervisor with the 78th Air Base Wing so I like a leadership role. I like to lead a team coming together and watch how it all comes together in the end.
Q) Is it difficult being in a position where you have higher-ranking Airmen following your lead?
A) We respect each other’s rank but when it comes to the job rank plays less of a role versus the main goal: completing the job! It’s more than the rank of the team chief it’s the position and responsibility placed upon that position. In our shop we never have any issues with anyone saying, “I’m a Master Sgt., I don’t need to be in the trenches digging,” or, “I’m a Tech. Sgt., I’m not splicing.” Our shop is not that way. We don’t have anyone, of any rank, in our shop that would not jump in the hole feet first with you. We’re also teaching our younger Airmen coming up the chain, the Senior Airmen, A1C’s; if they see a Master Sgt. up there sitting on their tail holding an umbrella for shade what kind of vision is that going to put in their head?
Q) What would you say to someone who might be on the fence about joining the Georgia Air National Guard with the 202d Engineering Installation Squadron?
A) When anyone thinks of Air Force they think of planes but what we do out here is something different. If you’re looking for a skill trade this is where you want to be. Come join the 202d and you’ll get the experience to climb towers or to splice cables for cable or electric companies. You could easily spend thousands of dollars paying for that type of training or you can join the Air National Guard and get that experience and education. Additionally, you’ll be getting time for retirement after only 20 years, the insurance benefits, the GI Bill …it’s definitely worth it. It’s one of the best decisions I ever made. I just wish I would’ve joined right after high school instead of waiting a few years!
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.20.2020 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 376436 |
| Location: | ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA, US |
| Hometown: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Hometown: | ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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