An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

ROCK SOLID WARRIOR

  • Published
  • 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Airman 1st Class Michael Robert Fuhrer

Job: Security Forces Fire Team Member

Home unit: 355th Security Forces Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

How do you support the mission here? I am normally assigned as an entry controller and patrolman, but currently I am a member of the off-base security response force. When I am working on the base, I respond to in-flight emergencies, medical emergencies, fire responses, K-9 alerts and any number of other law enforcement responses. While outside the wire, I conduct off-base patrols, which creates stand-off by ensuring no one enters the exclusion zone. We also locate and report unexploded ordnance which saves host nation lives. Additionally, we visit camps in order to build lasting relationships with our host nation neighbors located near the installation.

How many times have you deployed and what makes this one unique? This is my first deployment. It has definitely been an eye-opening experience, and I have learned so much from pre-deployment training until now. I now feel I have a good sense of how the Air Force lives and operates in a deployed environment. As a security forces member, I am sure I will have many more opportunities in the future to deploy.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? Unlike at home station, the environment here is very different. Work here can be very demanding but also very rewarding as I have had so many great opportunities to interact with our host nation and meet so many people that I will continue to stay in contact with when I leave. One of the major differences is the amount of hours we work. At home station the days are usually between eight to 10 hours while here we work 12 plus hours a day. At my home base, everything is geared towards preparing for the mission and getting ready to deploy. While here, we hit the ground running and all our preparation and hard work gets put into action.