Escorts ensure OPSEC

Published March 1, 2008
By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Every morning, there's a stampede on base.

"Goooooood morning, and welcome to Cluuuuuuuub Victor!" a supervisor yells, causing about 200 people to rise to their feet and run toward the door.

And that's the start of another day.

"It's crazy here," admitted Senior Master Sgt. Stanley Higgins, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron escort flight superintendent. "Every day is a different experience."

He is in charge of 154 Airmen, all from any of 15 bases and 64 different career fields represented in the flight. The flight is responsible for accompanying third country nationals who work on base in Southwest Asia. About half of the Airmen assigned to the unit this rotation are from his home station, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

"Every Airman assigned to this unit is a force multiplier," Sergeant Higgins said. "You might have one Airman watching up to 20 TCNs work, which increases the amount of work that can get done here without tasking Airmen to deploy to do construction."

There are TCNs from Egypt, India, the Middle East, Indonesia and the Philippines, and some speak little to no English.

Most of the Airmen volunteered to deploy out of cycle in order to come here, and the job they do involves more than just standing around, watching foreigners work, Sergeant Higgins said.

"This is a very strenuous job," said the father of four and Dyess' SNCO of the year for 2007. "It's mentally taxing for them to monitor the TCNs, but at the same time they have to pay close attention to everything that goes on around them. They look in every dumpster before they allow the TCNs to empty the trash, looking for uniforms and privacy act information people accidentally throw away ... and they have to keep a close eye on all 20 of the workers, making sure they don't take pictures or do anything they're not supposed to do. Escorts have to know exactly what every single person's job is and make sure they're doing it."

While on duty, escorts are permitted to listen to the radio or read the professional development guide, which is usually not possible while they're moving their eyes in 20 different directions, he said.

Senior Airman Brittnay Chapa, an ammo troop from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is taking advantage of her 120 days here.

"I love it here," the 5'3", outgoing Airman said. "It's a good environment, and I can concentrate on my personal goals," which include losing weight, studying for promotion, and completing her Community College of the Air Force degree. "I've taken three CLEP tests so far, and I've got one to go."

She's not the only escort who's enjoying the deployment. Staff Sgt. Derrick Adams, a paralegal from Dyess, is the Victor control here. He organizes the flow of traffic between the entry point and each site, maintaining accountability of each escort's position.

Waking up at 3 a.m. each day to be at the tent by four, he said he tries to be as upbeat as possible during the day.

"It's what you make of it," he said. "This may not seem like a glamorous job, but it's a vital part of the mission."