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Rock Solid Warrior of the Week

  • Published
  • By Public Affairs staff
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Staff Sgt. Joshua Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a firefighter with the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron. The Fresno, Calif. native is deployed from the 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno Air National Guard base, Calif..

In his own words:

Q:  Is anyone else in your family in the military? 
A:  My father enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps and my brother was enlisted and served in the U.S. Army. They both received honorable discharges.

Q:  What is your mission here?
A:  My job is to provide fire protection to the airfield and to structural buildings. We also respond to medical calls for personnel on the base.

Q:  What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A:  Some of the best parts are the hands on training with the different types of aircrafts and working with fire personnel from different states back home.

Q:  What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A:  Some challenges would be to learn the airfield and the types of aircrafts. We overcome these challenges by keeping up with weekly training on the airfield and also getting hands on training with the aircraft.

Q:  How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A:  At my home base we focus on one type of aircraft. Here there are different types of aircraft that have been coming in and we have to know the different types of hazards each may present.

Q:  How many times have you deployed?
A:  This is my first deployment.

Q:  What makes this deployment unique?
A:  To learn and to train with the host nation fire department. To know that we are welcomed here in their country is a good feeling.

Q:  Why did you join the Air Force?
A:  I joined the Air Force because I have always found the military to be interesting. To be able to serve my country like my family members was something that really stood out to me growing up.

(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.)