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Rock Solid Warrior

  • Published
This week's 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Rock Solid Warrior comes from the 386th AEW Command Post.

Name: Senior Airman Dan Underwood

Job: 386 Air Expeditionary Wing Command Post Controller

Home unit: 50th Space Wing, Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.

How do you support the mission here?
The Command Post is the central nervous system of the base. As a Command Post controller, it is my primary responsibility to provide the base leadership with as much information as possible so they can make informative decisions when ground accidents, in-flight emergencies, theater ballistic missile launches and security incidents occur. I also support the mission here by coordinating with a number of different agencies to ensure smooth flying operations into our base and throughout the area of responsibility. By flight following, I help ensure that personnel and supplies reach their destination in a timely manner and coordinate maintenance for aircraft so they can continue to support future missions.

How many times have you deployed and what makes this deployment unique?
This is my first deployment but it has proven to be a good challenge. My gained experiences here will definitely help me out in my future deployments.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
At Schriever Air Force Base, I helped support the mission for satellite programs such as MILSTAR and GPS that are heavily relied upon in the AOR. My job at my home base is also unique because we are one of the few Air Force bases without a runway. Being out here has given me the opportunity to help coordinate aircraft and understand what agencies such as the Maintenance Operations Center and the Aerial Terminal Operations Center do on a day-to-day basis.