Air Force Reserve creating engineering unit at Nellis

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002 | 8:23 a.m.

The Air Force Reserve is looking for more than a few good men and women, preferably the hard-hat types.

While 230 members of Nellis' active-duty Red Horse Civil Engineering Squadron readied and deployed to places unknown in recent weeks, another Red Horse unit was setting up shop on the base.

The 555th Red Horse Squadron will be made up of citizen airmen serving in the Air Force Reserve. The unit was activated on paper in October, and an initial cadre of one officer and two sergeants have been setting up shop and gearing up recruiting efforts for the new unit.

"We are excited about continuing the legacy of the 555th Red Horse that came to be during the Vietnam War," said Lt. Col. Frank Myers, commander of the new unit. "We have resurrected the Triple Nickel Patch and are proud of its history and what it represents,"

The new unit is part of a "Total Force round out" of an active-duty Red Horse unit in Korea. The expansion includes the 555th at Nellis, with 120 Air Force reservists, and the 254th Red Horse, an Air National Guard squadron located in Tacoma, Wash., according to Chief Master Sgt. Wade Wayment, non-commissioned officer in charge of the 555th.

According to Wayment, the 555th will be loaded in heavy equipment operators, with 55 positions. He said they hope to fill all 112 traditional reserve positions with citizen airmen from the local area.

The unit is looking for people with prior military service in any branch who have construction trades or heavy equipment experience in or out of the service, as well as new people interested in beginning a part-time military career.

While most of the positions are within civil engineering specialties, there are also support position openings available such as supply, information management, finance and vehicle maintenance, among others.

To apply for positions, e-mail him at wade.wayment@nellis.af.mil.

Navy corpsman deploys

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa Carden, the daughter of Mike Carden of Las Vegas, is playing a critical role in America's war on terrorism, according to Navy officials.

Carden, a 24-year-old hospital corpsman, provides care for many of the 1,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines aboard the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship currently on a six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Bataan's specialty is to land Marines on shore wherever needed during the operation.

"My job is to make sure that each person receives the care they need in order for them to complete their job," Carden said.

Heightened operations tempo and security concerns during Enduring Freedom have meant more days at sea between port calls for the crew of the Bataan, Navy officials said. But shore leave wasn't on Carden's mind during the recent holidays.

"I missed my grandmother's cooking the most," she said.

In brief

Rivas and Blouin will learn to troubleshoot, repair, replace and adjust engine, fuel, air and cooling systems, electrical, mechanical and hydraulic components, and assemblies of wheeled vehicles and diesel power plants.