BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Staff Sgt. Russell Dutcher, 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning technician, is responsible for keeping people and equipment cool so Bagram Airmen are able to perform and support the mission.
As an HVAC technician, Dutcher responds to calls from various base agencies to fix air conditioning units on a daily basis. Not only does he repair units for personnel, but also for mission essential equipment such as computers and servers and communications equipment.
“People need their cooling to perform their job and actually come to work and perform their part of the mission,” Dutcher said. “During the summer when it starts to get hot, we get a lot of calls from people that want their AC fixed and we try to get out and fix it as soon as possible. It’s a bit stressful at times because we are a very small shop and there are a large number of customers to take care of, but it’s really a good and challenging job and I enjoy it.”
Dutcher is part of the “1000s of Hands” of 455 AEW Airmen who are crucial to the wing’s mission to generate and sustain airpower on the combat frontier of Afghanistan’s NATO’s Resolute Support mission and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The “1000s of Hands” project highlights Vulture Airmen who have a hand in delivering a blanket of steel, technology and courage to protect the force in the field and support Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.