Photo By John Hughel | Washington Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Agustin Duran, a cyberspace operator assigned...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N. J. – The email that Washington Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Agustin Duran received from his supervisor on Aug. 23, 2021, contained an opportunity he knew he couldn’t pass up. A cyberspace operator assigned to the 262nd Cyberspace Operations Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Duran would answer the call for volunteers to help support Afghan evacuees coming to the U.S.
He had one hour to reply with an answer if he wanted to sign up.
“I knew right away that I wanted to go, but I sent my wife (Tech. Sgt. Michelle Lye), a text message that I wanted to go on orders to support this mission -- but I thought…I should run it by her first,” he recalled, laughing at the moment. “Within seconds, she sent me back a note saying she had already volunteered a few minutes before and wanted to let me know she would be gone for a while. That’s how we both got here!”
Serving in two different units, Lye serves in the Western Air Defense Sector at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and corroborated the story about volunteering for the Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) mission.
“It’s totally true. I sign up for things like this and only tell him after I’ve committed to it,” Lye said, trying to hold back a smile. “I am just glad we could experience a mission like this, especially helping make an impact together.”
The two had been friends growing up together and started a relationship after Duran left the active-duty Marine Corps and moved to Hawaii. When Duran was attending Hawaii Pacific University, he went to a luau with Michelle’s unit, then the Pacific Air Defense sector, at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, discovered he missed the camaraderie of the military.
There was a sense of family there too.
“I was struck with how much everyone got along; how it was like an extended family and I put the idea back in my mind that I wanted to serve again, even if it was just part-time at first,” he said.
When Lye was hired at the Western Air Defense Sector this past year, Duran enlisted with the 262nd COS and is currently working in a temporary Active Guard Reserve (AGR) position.
During his five years of active duty in the Marine Corps, Duran was an F-18 Hornet jet engine mechanic. He served at first at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. He then was assigned at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, only to finish his active-duty enlistment back at NAS Oceana. He used his military education benefits to earn his degree in computer science.
What appealed to Duran about joining the Washington Air National Guard was building on his past military experience and serving in the local community. This also meant reconnecting with the Hispanic community in the Pacific Northwest.
“Both of my parents are from Chiapas, Mexico, and they lived in Washington until I was a teenager,” he said. “I come from a large family and lived with my sister for several years after my parents moved back to Mexico.”
Growing up in a bilingual household has given Duran many advantages; including breaking down language barriers to better connect with people.
“Speaking Spanish opens doors,” he said. “Many times, I can help translate for people, like here [JBMDL]. I’ve been able to use my Spanish to help translate to some of the staff helping clean up in the dining area and tents.”
Even with OAW’s 12-hour days, hot weather, and hard work, Duran says being part of a good team and spending a few moments playing with the kids each day makes it totally worth it.
“The kids, they just make this mission really hit home,” he said. “You want to play with all of them, but we’ll stop and play for a few minutes, throw a ball or just connect with them.”
During his time at Task Force Liberty, his assignments have varied from setting up cots, working as a driving escort for construction vehicles, unloading busses, and moving luggage into established housing for the Afghan guests. The Task Force Liberty provides the Afghans with culturally appropriate food, water, bedding, religious services, recreational activities, transportation from the port of entry, and medical services.
“Being here is like a big campground with a massive village inside,” Duran said, trying to describe the size and scope of Liberty Village. “There is a real sense of community not only with the Afghan people, but with our team here too.”
In retrospect, Duran can look back at the Hawaiian luau with members of the Pacific Defense Sector as a moment that changed the direction of his second military career, where ‘Ohana’, the Hawaiian term for family, took on a much broader meaning.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2021 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 405823 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 331 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Hispanic Heritage Month: Marine Corps veteran finds a new home in Air National Guard, by John Hughel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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