Photo By Airman 1st Class Teniya Caldwell | Senior Airman Donovan Whitfield, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron missile and space...... read more read more
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“I bleed red, white and blue,” Whitfield said. “I’ve known since I was three that I wanted to serve in the military.”
Whitfield was raised in a family that loved to build and repair, and they encouraged his interests from an early age with mechanical kits and LEGO sets. By age eight, he was welding. At 13, he was helping his family gut and repair their home. Before he entered high school, he had hands-on experience with plumbing, bricklaying and installing drywall.
One of Whitfield’s fondest memories is mixing concrete for a fireplace with his father. “It taught me patience,” he recalled. “I began by simply digging a hole, and through careful effort, I created something strong and enduring.”
For Whitfield, fixing things was not only about learning how to use tools – it was about learning durability, passing down lessons and acquiring a wide range of versatile skills.
As high school came to an end, Whitfield was encouraged to join the Air Force by his mentor, retired U.S. Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley Kasal.
Whitfield took Kasal’s advice to heart and contacted his local recruiter in 2021. It wasn’t until nine months later, after navigating the Delayed Entry Program and completing his evaluations at the Military Entrance Processing Station, that his recruiter called back with an opportunity.
“She told me, ‘I can’t tell you what this job is, but have fun. You leave in two weeks,’” Whitfield said.
As promised, he soon left for basic training and officially began what would become his Air Force career as a missile and space maintenance technician.
Now assigned to the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron mechanical and pneudraulics team at Malmstrom, Whitfield has spent the last three years maintaining the mechanical and hydraulic systems of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. His day-to-day work includes troubleshooting issues and ensuring equipment functions safely and efficiently, which he also uses as an opportunity to teach new Airmen the hands-on skills they need to solve problems independently.
“It’s kind of like a giant LEGO tower,” Whitfield said of the Minuteman III. “You just stack stuff and build stuff. Eventually, it’s this giant missile that’s over 60 feet tall … one of the biggest weapons systems the world has seen.”
Whitfield’s passion is not only fixing things, but also passing that knowledge on, just as his family did for him years ago.
“This job always carries a significant weight of responsibility,” he said. “But by learning, growing and teaching others, that weight becomes more manageable.”
For Whitfield, teaching is a way of shaping the future and improving what’s left behind.
The same philosophy follows him beyond the missile field.
Whitfield volunteers his time with Malmstrom’s Outdoor Recreation office to teach a variety of outdoor skills, including snowboarding, skiing, hiking and fishing. He enjoys working with Airmen, particularly in places like Montana, where winter isolation can affect morale.
“Seeing Airmen happy and discovering new skills always puts me in a good mood, because I know I made a difference,” he said. “If you can teach someone a skill, you’re paying it forward – and eventually, they will pass it on too.”
Today, Whitfield is still driven by the childhood joy sparked in him from fixing, building and teaching. Only now, the pieces are bigger, the stakes are higher and the legacy is stronger than ever.
| Date Taken: | 09.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.08.2025 11:40 |
| Story ID: | 547386 |
| Location: | MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MONTANA, US |
| Hometown: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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