SOUTHWEST ASIA -- This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Tech. Sgt. Beverly Boltz. She is the NCO in charge of PERSCO sustainment at the 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron. The Crestview, Fla., native is deployed from the 366th Force Support Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
Q: What is your family’s military heritage (anyone else in your family who was/is in the military?):
A: My husband and brother in-law are active duty Air Force. My dad is retired Air Force.
Q: What is your mission here (in general terms)?
A: PERSCO is Personnel Support for Contingency Operations. We provide accountability to leadership and personnel support to deployed members in the area of responsibility. We process all deployment waivers, provide accountability reports, process casualty messages and emergency leave requests, and in- or out-process personnel.
Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: The best part of my mission by far is the team that I get to work with every day. They are my family here. They have made this deployment an excellent experience on both a professional and personal level.
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 tracking transient personnel. We are lucky enough to work with liaison officers who assisted in creating a spreadsheet to track transients upon processing at the Joint Reception Center. It is a user-friendly product, and we utilize it daily to ensure we know where transients are and when they arrive and depart.
Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: PERSCO is a 24/7 mission. There is much less face-to-face customer interaction. Most of our communication is via email or phone.
Q: How many times have you deployed?
A: This is my second deployment.
Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: I have had the opportunity to work with individuals outside of my career field during this deployment. This opportunity has allowed me to learn about each section in the Deployment Control Center and understand what their job knowledge and skills bring to the mission.
Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: I joined the Air Force to be part of a team and to do something different with my life.