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A Rock Solid Warrior: Tech. Sgt. Melissa Sterpin

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jeremy Bowcock
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Tech. Sgt. Melissa Sterpin. She is a force protection intelligence analyst with the 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron. The Downey, California native is deployed from the 196TH Reconnaissance Squadron, March Joint Air Reserve Base, California.

Q: What is your family’s military heritage (anyone else in your family who was/is in the military?):
A: My family has a huge military background. My brother, Ivan Sterpin, is a maintenance MSgt in the Air Force, my cousin, Ed Marin, is a former F-16 pilot in the Air Force as well, and my brother-in-law, Albert Aguilar, is a former Navy rescue swimmer. Being first generation American, I also have a lot of family who served or are serving with foreign militaries including my father who was a Yugoslavian marine, an uncle in the Italian army, and several uncles and cousins in the Colombian navy, and a few who fought in the Korean War.

Q: What is your mission here (in general terms)?
A: My mission here is to ensure that the commanders here are aware of the current threat to the force, as well as working with a team to develop ways to mitigate those threats.

Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: The best part of the mission here is getting to work directly with Security Forces to ensure the safety of the base and troops. I get the chance to get out of the office and go on patrols with them in order to truly understand their duties, which has given me a newfound respect for our Defenders.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A: My job is to know the environment. Since this is my first time in country I had to immediately immerse myself in the history and trends in order to become informed enough to overcome one of the biggest challenges in my job, which is determining if something is insignificant or an actual threat.

Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: In my career field, the job can differ significantly depending on who I am supporting. Back home, I support aircraft and deployed I support force protection, which have very different duties. However, the operations tempo is the same back home verse deployed for me.

Q: How many times have you deployed?
A: This is my third deployment; I deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and 2012.

Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: What makes this deployment unique is getting to work with our host nation. I was able to work with local police women and getting to see them develop and progress, which has been extremely rewarding. I also had the chance to experience the culture and develop relationships with the locals in a non-tourist manner, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: I joined the Air Force simply because I wanted to serve my country. My parents have always been very vocal about their patriotism and the opportunities afforded to them when they became citizens of the U.S., so I wanted to be a part of what allows those opportunities.

(The Rock Solid Warrior is a weekly spotlight focused on an outstanding member of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. These unsung heroes have been nominated by their unit leadership to be recognized for their efforts while deployed.)