Guardlife -
Volume 31, No. 4
177th CE Deploys To RAF Mildenhall
Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, 177FW/PA
More than 40 members of the 177th Civil Engineering
(CE) Squadron deployed to Royal Air
Force Base Mildenhall, Suffolk, England for two
weeks of annual training July 22 to August 6.
The deployed Airmen were a cross-section of the entire
CE career spectrum, including heavy equipment operators,
firefighters, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning),
explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), structures, power
production, readiness and electricians.
Except for Readiness, EOD, HVAC and the firefighters,
the majority of the 177th team were assigned three projects: the
dismantling and reassembling of a gazebo at a different
location;
grading and leveling the 60-acre site and the
finishing of the Self Help kitchen.
The other CE Airmen were dispersed to various locations
across the base. The firefighters served as backfill for
the base firefighters who are serving in Iraq. The HVAC
Airmen performed emergency repairs and preventative
maintenance on systems throughout the base. While the
Readiness Airmen assisted the 100th ARW CE Readiness
shop studying potential threats that would affect deployed
CE troops, the two-member 177th EOD team arrived at
RAF Lakenheath just in time for the base’s operational
readiness inspection.
After resting the weekend, the 177th Airmen finished
the projects prior to returning to New Jersey.
Geoff Harrison (left), RAF Mildenhall
Heating, Ventilation and
Air Conditioning and Tech. Sgt. Ernie Scott (right) remove a
nozzle on gas bottle.
- 
Senior Airman Lynne Dettloff (left)
177th CES and Airman 1st
Class Neal Clark (right), 100th Civil Engineering Readiness
prepare a container for loading.
-
Left to right: Senior Airman Stephen
Lee directs while Master
Sergeants' Paul Nieczpiel and Raymond Gordon lower a fence
post at the new gazebo.
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