Hagel speaks with Reservists during Joint Base Charleston visit Published July 17, 2013 By Michael Dukes 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs 7/17/2013 - JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel spoke with members of the 315th Airlift Wing here today as part of his tour of military bases in the Southeast United States. Senior Master Sgt. April Hamilton and 2nd Lt. Jason Foster represented the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron in the base's Air Force showcase located in front of a flight line hangar. Hamilton and Foster greeted the Secretary as he stepped into a Charleston C-17 Globemaster III. In front of a fully-equipped air evacuation litter and stanchion display, Hamilton gave Hagel a brief overview of the aircraft's capabilities, specifically as a flying hospital. The Secretary seemed particularly impressed when Hamilton told him about the air evacuation footprint throughout that Air Force, the Reserve and Air Guard. Hagel raised his eyebrows and nodded as Hamilton told him that the Reservist AE Airman brings a multifaceted skillset because most work in the medical profession as civilians. Hagel asked Hamilton and Foster if they had all the equipment they needed to do their job. They both replied "Yes Sir." Hagel asked the AES Airmen how long they had been doing their job and asked if it was a rewarding opportunity. Hamilton and Foster both enthusiastically agreed that it was very rewarding. The Secretary patted them both on the shoulder and thanked them for their service before he moved to the back of the jet to learn about Combat Camera. After speaking to the secretary, Hamilton said, "It was exciting to showcase what we do to the Secretary of Defense." "This visit shows that senior leadership pay attention to what we do and they are interested to see how we do our job," Foster added. Outside the jet, members of the 560th RED HORSE Squadron gave an overview of their mission. Lt. Col. Joseph Swaim, 560th RHS commander, told Secretary Hagel about the Squadron's automatic building machine, which was on display. Swaim explained to Hagel how the ATM can take a roll of steel, corrugate it, cut it and bend it to create K-span structures. Hagel asked if the squadron owned the machine or it was leased. Swaim said yes. "This is one of our special capabilities," he added. Chief Master Sgt. Jim Hampton talked about deployments; specifically the 560th RHS's recent deployment to Southwest Asia. He showed the Secretary photos of some of the many infrastructure projects completed at various bases supporting operations in Afghanistan. Senior Airman Jonathan Liebherr, one of the newer members of the 560th RHS, told the Secretary about the training that RED HORSE Airmen go through. Other Joint Base Charleston mission components represented at the Air Force showcase included explosive ordinance disposal Airmen, Security Forces Ravens members and aircraft maintainers. After the showcase, Secretary Hagel toured the Boeing Modular Repair and Test Center here where he saw aerospace contractors who directly support the base's C-17 fleet. Secretary Hagel concluded his visit with a civilian town hall in Club Charleston here he gave Air Force civilians an update on the sequester and ongoing Defense budget challenges.