ROCK SOLID WARRIOR Published March 2, 2009 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron CAMP BUCCA, Iraq -- Staff Sgt. Shane Gullick Job: Squad Leader Home station/unit: 1st Security Forces Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va. How do you support the mission here? As the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Quality Control and Training Section, I ensure that assigned Airmen possess the required skills and competencies to execute their duties, which include law enforcement and securing the base, its assets and allowing our flying mission to continue unimpeded. How many times have you deployed and what makes this one unique? Once, to Tikrit, as a lead gunner conducting a convoy escort mission. Here I am the squad leader. We interact with the population so much more here, and our actions are largely non-kinetic, meaning we talk and make friends, versus kinetic, meaning offensive operations. How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? Generally at home station, I do not don 70 pounds of protective gear, chamber a round in my rifle, take out multiple machine guns, head outside the forward operating base, leading a squad of Airmen prepared to do battle with the enemy while conducting operations in a manner as to help put a nation back on its own feet. My squad and I have a direct impact on the future of Operation Iraqi Freedom by conducting these counter insurgency measures. Sitting down and interacting with the local population on a daily basis has provided a positive outlook toward today's Iraq.