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    Hawaii Guard senior NCO, Kapolei native, leads fitness center for Southwest Asia wing

    Hickam Guard Team Supports Southwest Asia Wing

    Photo By Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun | Nine members of the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Force Support Squadron are...... read more read more

    (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

    05.28.2010

    Story by Senior Airman Jenifer Calhoun 

    380th Air Expeditionary Wing

    SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Located on the island of Oahu is Master Sgt. Greg Ramos' hometown of Kapolei, Hawaii -- an unincorporated town that officials are working to make an urban center of Oahu, only second to Honolulu. It's also a place, he said, where staying fit and strong are a part of the lifestyle.

    Thousands of miles away from the gentle breezes of Ramos' native state, the career services Airman is helping deployed members keep fit as the superintendent of fitness activities for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. Ramos is a services superintendent -- a nine-skill level in his Air Force specialty, assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia.

    Ramos is also an Air National Guard Airman deployed from the 154th Force Support Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. As a services Airman with the 380th EFSS, Sergeant Ramos supports the morale, welfare, fitness and recreation of more than 1,900 deployed service members for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. He explained how what he does helps the deployed Airman stay "fit to fight."

    "I am the fitness director," Ramos said. "I manage the fitness center's inventory of equipment, the fitness budget, events and the intramural sports we hold for our deployed personnel. In the deployed environment, having these fitness facilities, equipment and activities available to people is critical. What we offer not only reduces stress from the long work days of our deployed people, it helps improve their morale."

    In the 380th EFSS, services support programs range a myriad of areas and Ramos has to be ready to support any one of them in addition to the fitness center. According to his official Air Force job description, services Airmen like Ramos manage and direct services programs, operations and retail operations. They supervise and work in appropriated fund food service and lodging activities, recreation, fitness and sports programs, linen exchange operations, mortuary affairs programs, honor guard teams, and services readiness programs.

    In managing services operations, Airmen like Ramos help improve work methods and procedures to ensure economic operation and customer satisfaction. They also resolve complaints, apply accounting principles to control resources, determine appropriated and non-appropriated fund budget requirements, and requisitions and accounts for subsistence, supplies and equipment needed to support services programs -- to name a few.

    Furthermore, services Airmen like Ramos also identify facility requirements and conduct surveys to determine facility renovation, construction and modernization needs, the job description states. They also establish and supervise bare-base facilities that provide food, fitness, lodging, sports management, recreation, laundry, mortuary services and field exchange operations to deployed personnel.

    In performing their deployed duties, the job description shows services Airmen like Ramos operate fixed, bare-base and portable food facilities and equipment. They plan, prepare and adjust menus and they determine resource availability, pricing and merchandise trends as well as carrying the ability to trains unit fitness monitors to conduct unit fitness evaluations.

    In all the services functions, Ramos has to maintain mandatory job knowledge in areas such as accounting procedures, management principles, merchandising, marketing, automated information systems, food service facility operations, subsistence management, requisition and issue procedures, menu planning and lodging operations, the job description states.

    When he joined the Air National Guard 15 years ago, Sergeant Ramos said it was one of the best decisions he's ever made.

    "I joined the Guard as a way to serve," Ramos said. "It's a decision that has proved very beneficial for many years."

    The 380th EFSS is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.28.2010
    Date Posted: 05.28.2010 01:43
    Story ID: 50403
    Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

    Web Views: 368
    Downloads: 174

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