DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Arizona —
It’s easy to forget the impact of everyone in the great Air Force mission of “fly, fight, and conquer – air power anytime, anywhere,” especially when they work in an airline bake shop or in an office where they sit behind a computer and phones answer all day. Regardless of how some may feel about their specific duties in the USAF, everything done is a contribution to the mission, no matter how tiny it may feel at the moment.
To counter this, DM’s 5/6 Council came up with the idea that Airmen should shadow other Airmen in various Air Force special codes to give them a chance to better understand how each contributes to the mission.
The 355th Security Forces Squadron Combat Weapons Training and Maintenance Team was the first to open its doors to Airmen selected for the first iteration of the program.
“It’s easy to assume that some jobs are simple and consist of mundane tasks,” said US Air Force Tech. Sergeant Julius Caesar Piga, 355th SFS CATM Instructor and 5/6 Council President. “No one really gets a chance to go behind the scenes, and that’s where a lot of the impact happens.”
Airman 1st Class Michah Dunn, 355th Communications Squadron cyber network operations technician, and Senior Airman Ryan Miller, 355th Equipment Maintenance Aircraft Structural Maintenance Metals Technician, are the first two Airmen to participate in this program.
They were given a tour of the CATM work area from its range to their armories and even filing systems, while also getting hands-on experience with small arms and weapons set up prior to a qualification course.
“This was a great opportunity to see the Air Force and its various jobs from a different perspective,” Dunn said. “There’s so much more to security guards than handling firearms and scanning ID at the gate.”
Piga’s hope is that this program will continue and that more people will get a chance to experience other AFSCs.
“Some people have fallen into the trap of assuming that other professions don’t contribute equally to mission, but with this initiative I hope to show that there is much more than meets the eye,” said Piga.
A program like this provides a unique connection and perspective on how each career field’s individual missions fit together to support the overall Air Force mission, not only helping Airmen fulfill their potential but also instilling a sense of understanding and… Proud of the everyday -day work they do.
