A Rock Solid Warrior: Staff Sgt. Lauren Perez

Published April 5, 2014
By Public Affairs staff
386th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Staff Sgt. Lauren Perez. Perez is a the NCO in charge of airfield management operations assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron. The East Chicago, Ind.. native is deployed from the 305th Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Q: What is your family's military heritage?
A: My dad served three years in the U.S. Army and my cousin is in the U.S. Navy.

Q: What is your mission here?
A: I am responsible for establishing performance standards, procedures, and work priorities for personnel working in Airfield Management Operations (AMOPS). AMOPS is the command and control node of the airfield and we maintain the expeditious continuity of operations and guarantee a safe airfield working environment for personnel and cargo movement throughout the area of responsibility.

Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: Learning! Since I've been here, I have learned so much about leadership, my job, and how the functions of other career fields affect some aspects of my career field directly.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A: The biggest challenge has been the language barrier with the host nation. I will not let something like that stop me from finding a solution to any problem we may encounter at AMOPS. I use other bases throughout the AOR for assistance and may get an idea on how they resolved their issue, then directly apply these lessons learned to my own situation. I wish I were able to speak the host language so I can relay the systematic problems we encounter and develop/implement a long term solution.

After being here and knowing I'm going to spend the next 20+ years in the Air Force, I am highly motivated to learn the language. That would be how I could overcome that challenge, until then I utilize resources, and documentation from past rotations to figure out why and how things work.

Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: Here we use a different system to input flight plans versus state-side; it's not the easiest system to learn, but it's necessary to effectively do our job. We also are required to make recommendations to the host nation, versus getting with civil engineering and putting in a work order to fix severely degraded pavement.

Q: How many times have you deployed?
A: This is my second deployment. I was excited to come because I learned so much on my last deployment as an A1C/SrA. My last deployment was in 2010 to Sather Air Base in Baghdad, Iraq.

Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: We are able to travel off base here, and learning about the different culture is an experience I will always cherish. I still find it amazing we are allowed to travel off base, and the ability to travel outside definitely helps with morale.

Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: I joined the military because I wanted to improve my physical fitness, discipline, and structure. I chose the Air Force because I wanted stability, a wealth of knowledge, and a world of opportunity. I have made a lot of decisions in my life, and choosing the Air Force has given me more than what I asked for and the only thing I can do to show my gratitude is share my knowledge, give 100%, and develop Airmen into warriors and leaders.

(The Rock Solid Warrior is a weekly spotlight focused on an outstanding member of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. These unsung heroes have been nominated by their unit leadership to be recognized for their efforts while deployed.)