Photo By Tech. Sgt. Mikaley Kline | Airman 1st Class Andres Pacheco, assigned to the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron at...... read more read more
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – It’s a rainy and gloomy day as local community members arrive at the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, ready to receive their COVID-19 vaccines.
After opening the front door to the large white tent constructed specifically as a vaccination center, they put on another face mask, sanitize and make their way to check in.
They are welcomed by Airmen such as Airman 1st Class Andres Pacheco before checking in for their appointment.
Pacheco, assigned to the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, assists with checking people in and guiding them through the table set-ups.
“My main job is just making sure that people are managed throughout the entire process by assisting them with checking in or guiding them to the right tables,” Pacheco said.
Born in Ecuador, Pacheco and his family came to America when he was young.
“I got my citizenship a couple months before I got here,” Pacheco said. “My parents came to America to try to give us better options and opportunities.”
Pacheco, a Spanish speaker, has been able to utilize his language skills to aid community members who may be in need of assistance.
“Whenever the other translators are busy, I’ll go in and help someone who looks like they may need it,” he said. “I think helping with the language barrier makes people more comfortable since they can talk to someone who understands their language.”
From a small Midwest town of about 400 people in Lostant, Illinois, Pacheco joined the Air Force primarily for education.
“School was my main priority and I’m pursuing economics,” Pacheco said. “At first I started with business because I didn’t know what I wanted to get into, but I knew I’m a very analytical person. Once I started taking classes, I realized I liked a certain aspect of business like audits and money management.”
Scott AFB is approximately 210 miles away from where Pacheco lived in Illinois.
“I’ve been in about two and a half years and this is my first base,” he said. “Scott [Air Force Base] is kind of home and I didn’t really get a chance to move away.”
While at his home base Pacheco works in water fuel system maintenance.
“It’s basically similar to being a plumber,” Pacheco said. “We manage and maintain all the water systems on base and some fuel systems. There are two aspects to our job, so you work on the fuel or the water side.”
Helping protect people from COVID, especially the elderly, is one of the most rewarding parts of this mission for Pacheco.
“I’ve noticed that we get a lot of older folks coming in and helping them get safe and protected is important to me because of my grandpa,” he said. “He lives in Chicago and he’s over 90 years old. I’m just glad that he was able to get his vaccine.”
This vaccination mission marks the first deployment in Pacheco’s Air Force career.
The St. Paul CVC recently passed the 25,000 COVID vaccines administered milestone on April 22. U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.
| Date Taken: | 04.24.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2021 11:08 |
| Story ID: | 394835 |
| Location: | ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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