Southwest Asia -- I’m Airman 1st Class Joseph Melanson, a 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron response team member.
My home unit is the 157th Security Forces Squadron at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire.
My job is to detect and deter security threats and discrepancies and to act within a security and law enforcement capacity. As a member of the Air National Guard the biggest difference between being at home station and deployed is that I am doing the job full-time. Also the threat is obviously greater which means we’re on the move constantly.
The best part of the mission here on The Rock is my team. Our squadron has great camaraderie because we’re working the long hours and going through the tough times together; knowing that the people around you are going through same experience helps us bond as a team.
Professionally, my goals are to deploy as much as I can so I can gain the experience and to earn my Community College of the Air Force Associates Degree. I would also like to make it to the rank of chief master sergeant.
My personal goals are to continue volunteering through military organizations and to learn to be a good supervisor so I can help future airmen become successful.
My hobbies are going to the shooting range and watching college football, specifically the Alabama Crimson Tide. I also enjoy working out at the gym and competing in powerlifting competitions.
There are many challenges that go along with being deployed, and like many others here, the hardest challenge for me is being away from loved ones. I get through it by staying in contact and keeping up to date with my friends and family. I am also fortunate to have a great team here and have created very good, close working relationships.
When I joined the Air Force I initially saw it as an opportunity to further my civilian law enforcement career but it has become so much more than that. Now I see it as a way to serve my country alongside my brothers and sisters-in-arms.