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Rock Solid Warrior

  • Published
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  This week's 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Rock Solid Warrior comes from the 387th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.

Name: Staff Sgt. Mika Byrd

Unit: 387th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron

Duty title: Base Defense Operations Center controller

Home unit/station: 100th Security Forces Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England

How do you support the mission here?
I have a critical job being a BDOC controller. I am responsible for securing and protecting resources. I dispatch security forces patrols to incidents and annotate all events in our security forces blotter. I also support the mission by making sure I'm fit to fight both physically and mentally. I love physical training and staying in shape. By doing this, I will never let my fellow Defenders down when it's time to battle the enemy.

How many times have you deployed and what makes this deployment unique?
This is my fifth deployment. It's unique because I've never participated in a human remains ceremony until now. We all put our lives on the line every day and for me to be able to pay my respect personally to our fallen brothers and sisters makes me proud to wear my uniform.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
Being a BDOC controller differs here vs. home base because the mission needs are increased. Our day to day operations change here and may be completely different than your home base routine. Since we are in a higher force protection condition and terrorist activity is more likely to occur I have to be more vigilant when doing my job. In a deployed environment everything is unfamiliar. You have to adapt to the heat and your surroundings. As Defenders of the base, we learn to adapt and overcome in any environment.