It's a small world at the 332nd AEW

Published March 6, 2012
By Senior Airman Melanie Holochwost
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The possibility of bumping into your neighbors on any day at the grocery store, post office, or gas station, doesn't seem all that strange, especially if you live in a small town. But, what are the odds of running into someone you know halfway around the world? And, what are the odds of running into five of them?

Whatever the chances are, it happened. Six members of the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron grew up in small towns across south-central Illinois.

"It would be one thing if we were all from Chicago or St. Louis, but these are extremely small towns that are pretty close to one another," said Lt. Col. Chad Heyen, 332nd EAMXS commander, deployed from the Pentagon. He is a native of Dorchester, Ill., which has a population of about 150 people.

Heyen said he surprised when he discovered Airman 1st Class Matthew Jones, Senior Airmen Kaleb Simmons, Joshua Mahkovitz, Roscerio Accardi, and Staff Sgt. John Ackerman all grew up near his hometown. All five maintainers are deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

"I try to have lunch with different Airmen so I can get to know them better," he said. "I always ask them where they are from, and I heard small towns in Illinois more often than Chicago, Los Angeles or any other large metropolitan area."

Jones and Accardi are from Alton, Ill., which is about a 45-minute drive from Heyen's hometown.

"I met Jones at Lewis and Clark Community College before we joined the military," Accardi said. "We went to basic training within a few months of each other. We are stationed together at Shaw AFB. And now, he is one of my roommates here."

Heyen said he shares a few ties with Mahkovitz, who is a native of Carlinville, Ill.

"My uncle taught football at Carlinville High School, where Mahkovitz attended," Heyen said. "To make it even crazier, I went to Gillespie High School, which was a huge rival with Carlinville, and still is."

What's more, Mahkovitz said he plans on attending Heyen's alma mater after he separates from the military.

"I want to go back to Illinois in about a year," Mahkovitz said. "I plan on attending Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville to study to be a pharmacist."

According to the group, job opportunities are limited in south-central Illinois.

"Most people graduate high school and work on a farm or in a factory," Accardi said. "Not too many people joined the military, but I'm glad I did. Now, I get to work on multimillion-dollar aircraft every day."

So, it's official. The saying, "it's a small world... and an even smaller Air Force," is true... especially at this undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.