SOUTHWEST ASIA -- This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Staff Sgt. Thomas Koppie. He is a communicatyions, counter measurew navigation systems technician with the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The Genoa, Ill. native is deployed from the 934th Maintenance Squadron, Minneapolis Air Reserve Base, Minn.
Q: What is your family’s military heritage (anyone else in your family who was/is in the military?):
A: My uncle was a captain in the USAF. During his tenure, he served as an F-4 Phantom fighter pilot.
Q: What is your mission here (in general terms)?
A: My mission here is to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair C-130 avionics and defensive systems.
Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: Being a part of and contributing to the great team of people we have here with us and seeing how what we are doing for the mission is impacting the lives of others.
Q: What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A: Being away from home is always a challenge, but the Internet has really helped to bridge the gap of communication with friends and family at home.
Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: I am a traditional reservist, therefore most of the work at home base is computer based testing and other similar activities. Here, in the deployed environment, there is a lot of applicable real world aircraft work and issues you don’t get to see at home station. It has been a great opportunity to obtain experience that no amount of computer based training can fulfill.
Q: How many times have you deployed?
A: Twice, the first time I deployed to Qatar and now the 386th AEW.
Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: Multiple major missions and a very high tempo workload.
Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: I joined for the travel. I also joined because I enjoy anything aviation relate.