Air Force engineers tackle missions ‘cradle to grave’

  • Published
  • By Allison Gipson
  • Fort Leonard Wood GUIDON staff
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. --  Air Force Engineer assistants are the first ones in and the last ones out when it comes to planning and building bases, and without teamwork their mission could fail. 

Airmen in the EA apprentice course at Fort Leonard Wood spend more than three months working in an inter-service environment learning the basics of sketching, surveying and AutoCAD, an automated drafting program. 

Air Force Tech Sgt. Garey Payne, chief of engineer training, said the Air Force depends on the other services -- Army, Navy, Marine Corps -- to accomplish training and meet the mission, especially in a wartime environment. Coming together in training has helped bridged the gap in many areas, he said. 

"We are fully integrated with ITRO and dependant on all four services to make that mission happen. When you move into the contingency environment, the reason we went to ITRO training was because there was a gap in what an Army surveyor did versus what an Air Force or Navy surveyor did," Payne said. "In this environment it is necessary to need to be able to speak the same language as my counterparts." 

Airman 1st Class Rebecca Neal, Class 06, said speaking the same language in all aspects of being an EA is extremely important, especially when you have a "cradle to grave" mentality. 

"There is a saying in EA, 'cradle to grave', and when it comes to base planning, we are the first ones in -- we make the plans, propose the layout and say where everything goes, and then we are there when the base goes away," Neal said. 

Neal said after six weeks of surveying and then 17 days of working Air Force specific training, including GPS systems and air base planning, she said one of most important lessons has been teamwork. 

"We have really learned so much. It has been really intense, but the most important thing of being here is learning how to work as a team." 

Air Force Staff Sgt. Fabian Silva, EA course instructor, said he wants all students to walk away with the technical knowledge that comes with the military occupational specialty, but knowing that students are learning that EA takes teamwork is crucial. 

"They just can't go out there and do everything for themselves," Silva said. "So, you have to learn how to be the integral part of the team and find your position on that team. Whether you are the quiet one, the leader or the supporter -- find out who works best in what role." 

Airman Sean Conaway, Class 008, is the son of two retired Army officers and said coming into the Air Force was an eye-opening experience. An even bigger eye opener for him, he said, is working with his EA class and learning the ins and outs of the job -- including roles on a team. 

"When I went through basic, I really had my blinders up. You just get a certain perspective of what the Air Force is like and you don't get to see other branches," Conaway said. "You have to realize what people function the best in and the different aspects of the team. Teamwork is definitely one of the most important aspects of what we do."