Reservists train, give back to Americans

By Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin, 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published June 27, 2010

Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Tech. Sgt. Mark Johnson, 433rd CES, holds the hammer he uses to align the sheets of plywood used for the subfloor.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Tech. Sgt. Frank Mora nails a plywood subfloor down while Tech. Sgt. Mark Johnson applied construction adhesive for the next sheet.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Senior Master Sgt. Michael Barnes, 433rd CES, sweeps the subfloor before the framing forthe walls begins. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Staff Sgt. Chris Gregory, 433rd CES, shoots grade to make sure the 12-inch water pipe in a 10-foot deep ditch next to him is at the proper depth. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Staff Sgt. Garret Was, 446th CES Lewis-McChord Joint Base, Washington, operates an excavator to dig a ditch where a 12-inch water main will be installed. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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A member of the 560th RED HORSE Squadron from Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, cuts a section of ashphalt as part a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Tech. Sgt. Frank Mora, 433rd CES, carries a sheet of plywood which will be used for the subfloor in a home. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Staff Sgt. David Bustos wires a box which will hold an electrical outlet in what will be a bedroom wall. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Staff Sgt. David Bustos wires a box which will hold an electrical outlet in what will be a bedroom wall. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Senior Airman Jaime Payen and Staff Sgt. David Bustos wire boxes which will hold electrical outlets in what will be two separate bedrooms.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Senior Airman Jaime Payen, 433rd CES, makes some quick calcuations on the sub-floor of the house he is wiring.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Staff Sgt. David Bustos and Senior Airman Jaime Payen, both 433rd CES electricians, at work wiring a house for electricity. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Tech. Sgt. Frank Mora, 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron, nails down a plywood subfloor before the rest of the house is built.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Master Sgt. Curtis Wilson, 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron electician, reviews plans of a house under construction.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Senior Airman Jaime Payen, an electrician from the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron, installs wire for electricity for lights and electrical sockets.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Master Sgt. Curtis Wilson, 433rd CES, gives some wiring advice to Staff Sgt. David Bustos. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Staff Sgt. David Bustos, 433rd CES electrician, installs wires for electrical sockets and switches in what will be a bedroom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Master Sgt. Curtis Wilson runs wire over ceiling joists from an electrical panel to where a bathroom ceiling fan will be.(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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Members of the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron conduct a humanitarian mission in the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. Senior Airman Jaime Payen, 433rd CES electrician, measures a length of framing lumber to use in an installation of an electrical panel. The board, a scrap piece from framing one of the houses in the background, happened to be exactly the right size. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Air Force reservists from the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron here left the Lone Star State for a couple of weeks in June to perform humanitarian work for the Red Lake band of Chippewa at the Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minn.

In the crisp, spring air of the North Star State, the 433rd CES worked at two separate sites a few miles apart on the reservation doing two vastly different jobs as part of their Innovation Readiness Training. Through IRT projects, reservists are helping communities while performing military training.

One team built three two-bedroom homes, to be transported by truck about 30 miles away. The other team worked with the 446th CES from Lewis-McChord Joint Base, Wash., to install 12-inch water pipe 10 feet in the ground, connecting the water systems of two small communities and providing the water supply for new fire hydrants.

Project manager Chief Master Sgt. Bill Markgraf from the 446th CES said the IRT work saved the reservation about $850,000 in labor costs while providing Air Force reservists valuable and rare hands-on experience in their jobs. The reservation provided the building materials for both projects such as lumber, water pipe and fire hydrants, and the re433rd CES and 446th CES provided the labor.

"It's a win-win situation," Chief Markgraf said.

The home-building team worked in smaller, more specialized but loosely organized teams. The electricians wired the homes, and the plumbers installed pipe and fittings after the carpenters framed the walls.

All of the work was done according to local and national building codes. The workers follow safety rules, much like construction sites in the civilian world. Except for the workers wearing Airman Battle Uniforms and white hard hats, the construction site looked like any other building site. A closer examination, however, revealed more.

The sub-floor of one home in early state of completion has some odd seams in the plywood near one of the edges. It's not a mistake or sloppy work; it was done intentionally.

"We have to utilize all the resources we have," said Tech. Sgt. Frank Mora, a carpenter with the 433rd CES.

Sergeant Mora said the sub-floors were held down with a strong construction adhesive in addition to more traditional nails to make the floor stronger.

"Guaranteed no squeaking," he said.

"We were on the roof doing shingles," said Master Sgt. Curtis Wilson, 433rd CES. "Everyone does a little bit of everything but each has their own specialty."

Sergeant Mora, a computer specialist who works for a civilian firm, said it was good to get away from his office cubicle and to see Airmen getting hands-on training. As different as both projects were, they both shared similarities.

Chief Markgraf said production was a little slower than full-time construction work because it was a training environment.

"These guys are doing well for the amount of training they had," he said. "None of these guys do it on the outside."

Chief Markgraf said the work would install about 12,000 feet of pipe connecting two small communities to a better water supply instead of their existing well water, which contains too much iron.

"It's kind of a dual-purpose line," he said.

In addition to fire hydrants every 500 feet, the water main has valves to isolate sections to allow for repairs or additions later.

To aid in adding to the system later, 8-inch taps were installed where housing divisions may be built in the future, making tapping into the system much easier.

Reservists train, give back to Americans

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