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RED HORSE helps 380th AEW build enduring mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Engineers in RED HORSE units usually stand out because of their distinctive red hats. While deployed, however, there's another tell-tale sign that makes them stand out:

Sunglasses tan lines.

"We do a lot of work in the sun," laughed Master Sgt. Todd Reeve.

Roughly 30 people are deployed to the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron to assist the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing as the base mission evolves to an enduring operation.

RED HORSE, or Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineers, are units with the distinct mission to go anywhere in the world and build whatever's needed there, all while being as self-sufficient as possible. While deployed to the 380th AEW, the team is building three, 20,000 square-foot warehouses where the wing can store items sensitive to the harsh weather elements of the area.

"We're able to build these structures faster at a more cost-effective price than they would be otherwise," said Reeve, the project manager and Elmira, N.Y., native deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

The total cost for the three structures is less than $2 million and will give 380th AEW Airmen ample space for equipment storage. It takes approximately four months to build each warehouse, but the crews are able to work on multiple parts of the project at once, said Navy Lt. j.g. Ben Stollerman, who is attached to the Air Force as part of an exchange program.

The project hasn't been without its challenges, however. Early on, while preparing the foundation and digging guide posts, they hit ground water that had to be pumped out. About a month ago, one of their cranes broke, setting the project back a few weeks.

"As soon as we were able to get the crane fixed, we moved six people to night shifts and pushed to make up for the lost time," Stollerman said. "In five days, we'd already caught up. It took its toll on the guys, but they really wanted to finish what they could before the reservists went home. I'm really proud of all they've been able to accomplish."

In addition to the active-duty members from the 820th RED HORSE Squadron out of Nellis, like Reeve and Stollerman, several members of the deployed team come from the 567th, a reserve squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. One of them, Tech. Sgt. Donna Southwood-Smith, is a structures engineer, but like many members of RED HORSE, she said, "we all do everything."

"Every deployment I get to do something I haven't done before; that's the best part of being part of RED HORSE," she said. "It doesn't matter what your job is, we all help each other out with whatever needs to get done."

Southwood-Smith, a Kingston, Jamaica native who came to the U.S. in the 1980s, joined the Air Force in response to the first Gulf War. As a child she played with LEGO bricks, which she said is a lot like her job now.

"With pre-engineered buildings like the warehouses we're building, all of the pieces are numbered and all go together a certain way," Southwood-Smith said. "What we do is a lot of fun and challenging, but also helps the people here. It's pretty rewarding to know we're making a difference."