JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Forty office personnel from the 502nd Civil Engineering Squadron volunteered their weekend to help renovate a building for the Battlefield Airmen Training Group Nov. 18-19 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
Given a short deadline to finish the job, 502nd CES personnel who normally work behind a desk were asked to step in and help with the hands-on renovation.
“Leadership has directed us to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” said Scott Daniel, 502nd CES Element Chief. “We’ve got a short suspense so we’ve got some outside help to assist us. We’ve got folks from customer service and logistics that don’t normally do this kind of stuff, but they all volunteered to help us finish the mission on time.”
Rosie Edwards, a 502nd CES customer service lead, was excited about the opportunity to help out and volunteer.
“I sit behind a desk all day so I was excited to be able to come out and do hands-on work,” Edwards said. “It’s also a great opportunity to get a better understanding of what we do.”
Volunteers like Edwards were crucial for the first part of the mission, tearing down 17 dividing walls, Daniel said.
“Tearing down and clearing the dividing walls is the bulk of what we hope to accomplish this weekend,” Daniel said. “There’s going to be a lot of waste and debris we’ll have to clear out when the walls come down and the extra hands are going to help a lot.”
While the main focus that weekend was demolishing and clearing the dividing walls, 502nd CES plans to re-paint, add in new carpeting and finish previously unfinished areas in the coming weeks for Battlefield Airmen training.
“It’s important because the Battlefield Airmen need a place to train,” Daniel said. “As a part of their support team, it’s our job to make sure they have what they need using whatever means necessary.”
502nd CES volunteers took “whatever means necessary” to heart.
“We’re extremely thankful to the volunteers,” Daniel said. “They’re crucial to finishing the mission on time. The more hands you have, the quicker things go.”