YIGO, Guam –
Engineers from the 254th Red Horse Squadron, Guam National Guard, are working to restore 50 uninhabited houses to livable conditions on Andersen Air Force Base.
Federally activated under the 356th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, the 30 Guam Guardsmen are working with other activated Guardsmen from as far away as New Hampshire and New Jersey performing mold remediation, demolition, carpentry, plumbing, HVAC repair and more. Once complete, the two-bedroom units will house rotational forces deployed to Guam.
Senior Master Sgt. Bhill Alforque of the Guam Guard assists Chief Master Sgt. Brett Bussell of the New Hampshire Guard in his duties as the Squadron’s senior enlisted leader.
“Having rotational forces living on the base, whether they’re here for an exercise or a real-world scenario, allows for better posturing of the force, as well as the ability to maneuver more quickly.” Alforque said. “These are some of the main concepts of Agile Combat Employment (ACE) that the Air Force is getting after, especially here on the Forward Edge.”
Alforque said many rotational forces to Andersen are currently housed off-base, noting the renovation project will also help save money.
On the other side of the base, the ECEG’s 513th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron is repairing taxiways and constructing K-Span buildings at Andersen’s Northwest Field. Active duty and National Guard working together, both efforts of the ECEG support the Air Force’s ACE concept, which aims to decentralize forward assets for better survivability and force generation.
Back at the housing project, Staff Sgt. Bryant Contreras of the Guam Guard is learning to repair HVAC units from Tech. Sgt. Taran Kalladeen of the New Jersey Guard.
“To play a role in this mission – to accomplish the bigger picture – it means a lot,” said Contreras. “Especially being here on my homeland.”