Air Force civilians at Bagram

Gary Lum, a U.S. Air Force civilian, uses an acetylene torch to cut metal at the USFOR-A Garrison metals shop on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 21, 2014. Lum is a native of Kaneohe, Hawaii, and deployed from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Gary J. Rihn/Released)

Air Force civilians at Bagram

Nick Higgins, a U.S. Air Force civilian, watches the discharged material coming off of a rock crushing machine on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 21, 2014. Higgins, a native of Cummings, Ga., and deployed from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the production manager for an operation that crushes stone and recycled concrete for use as fill and walking path surfaces on base.(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Gary J. Rihn/Released)

Air Force civilians at Bagram

Thomas Ibanez, heavy equipment operator, discusses with Elisha Craft, both U.S. Air Force civilians, how to best employ his foklift to reposition concrete barriers on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 21, 2014. Ibanez is a native of Guam and deployed from Hill Air Force Base while Craft is deployed from Eglin Air Force Base.(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Gary J. Rihn/Released)

Air Force civilians vital to base operations at Bagram Airfield

Published Jan. 22, 2014
By Senior Master Sgt. Gary J. Rihn
455 AEW/PA

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- While most people wearing camouflage uniforms on Bagram Airfield may initially look alike, not everybody is actually a military member.

If you look closer at the insignia on their uniforms, you'll notice that some are civilians, including many who are U.S. Air Force civilian employees.

These civilians are usually construction and trades craftsmen or others in specialized fields that serve in positions that the Air Force relies on civilians to fill.

"Civilians offer specialized experience and longer continuity than possible with a typical military tour," said Melissa Markell, environmental chief at Bagram.

While administratively assigned to the Air Force, they functionally fall under the control of the Army Garrison.

"My biggest challenge is that here we're all Army, but 90% of us are from the Air Force. It's a challenge for us sometimes due to the different systems and backgrounds," said Robert Grim, deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, and responsible here for vetting projects for approval.

Those projects cover a wide spectrum, ranging from carpentry to placing t-walls, plumbing to pouring concrete, and cleaning support to Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs.

"Everybody needs stuff, whether commodities or services. It comes through me and I secure funding. Pretty much everything that keeps Bagram running comes through Garrison," said Dennis Rogers, deployed from Tyndall Air Force Base and serving as the project planner here.

Keats McLaughlin, deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, is in charge of setting up the moral,welfare and recreation functions at Bagram. He is currently overseeing the construction of two new gyms along with a pair of 200 seat theaters.

"My goal is to give people a way to get away and a relief from stress. It's sometimes a challenge getting equipment and good shows for the Airmen, but we're steadily getting there," said McLaughlin.

Some of the civilians have a hard time explaining exactly what they do here to friends back home. To assist in that, Markell created a blog that she updates regularly with posts and pictures so that friends can easily visualize their job here.

"As a civilian with no military or prior deployment experience, it's challenging and rewarding to do this for real, in a war zone, while being able to show what it's like from my perspective," explained Markell.

All of the Air Force civilians at Garrison volunteered to deploy, and most are here for one year.