SOUTHWEST ASIA -- This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Staff Sgt. Nick Kaufenberg. He is a C-130 Hercules loadmaster with the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. The St. Paul, Minn., native is deployed from the 96th Airlift Squadron in Minneapolis.
Q: What is your family’s military heritage (anyone else in your family who was/is in the military?):
A: I had two grandfathers in the Army Air Corps who both fought in WWII.
Q: What is your mission here (in general terms)?
A: My mission here is to get people, supplies and equipment moved using the C-130 airlift capability.
Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: It is great to work on C-130s because I’m not necessarily stuck on this base. I get to go see different places every day.
Q: What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A: One of the challenges here is working with so many different levels of supervision. Another challenge I face is trusting in my own skills and capabilities, knowing that the decision I make is going to be the right one, even if some agency tells me otherwise.
Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: My job here is a lot more tactical and rigorous than at home.
Q: How many times have you deployed?
A: I have deployed twice.
Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: Unfortunately, nothing.
Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: I joined the Air Force to see the world.