Memorial Clean up

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Tech. Sgt. Henry Ruelas (center), 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, and several Airmen from the 386th ECS clean a memorial dedicated to Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson. Airman Jacobson was killed Sept. 28, 2005 while providing convoy security near Camp Bucca, Iraq, when her vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device. (U.S. Air Force/Courtesy photo)

386th AEW Airmen clean up base memorials

Published Sept. 15, 2009
By Capt. Larry van der Oord
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Tech. Sgt. Henry Ruelas was on a cool down walk after a workout when something caught his eye the night of Sept. 2.

"I didn't think much about it at first," said Sergeant Ruelas, 386th Expeditionary Communication Squadron, communications focal point noncommissioned officer in charge. "I had run by it so many times before, and I never really stopped to notice it."

That something turned out to be one of the many plaques, monuments and memorials located on the Rock. He also noticed it was getting pretty dusty.

After a quick survey around base, Sergeant Ruelas found several other memorial sites that were in need of a good cleaning. When he couldn't find someone assigned to maintain the sites, he took it upon himself to put a crew together. Sergeant Ruelas recruited four other Airmen from the 386th ECS to help: Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Samulowitz, Master Sgt. Chris Roybal, Master Sgt. Ronald Harper and Senior Airman Johnathon Lacey.

Together these five Airmen spent Sept. 6 visiting eight different sites around the Rock to scrub away dirt and grime brought on by the harsh desert conditions. The team also policed the areas for trash and took notes on any repairs needed at a particular site.

"At the time, I didn't know we had so many (memorial sites) here," said Sergeant Roybal. "Taking time to clean them up is very humbling because it makes you think about the sacrifices people made and the loved ones they left behind."

All five Airmen agreed that spending time beautifying the base's sites of remembrance was definitely time well spent.

Scheduled to re-deploy in a few months, Sergeant Ruelas said he would love to see another unit volunteer to take care of the sites after he leaves. But, he knows keeping them clean all the time is next to impossible thanks to the ever-blowing desert winds.

"It's more about showing our respect and letting people know the sites are out there," said Sergeant Ruelas. "Even if the memorials are dust-free for only five minutes, we know we did our part."