Metal fabrication shop 'grinds down' Kadena's rough edges

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  From fences, metal street signs and ventilation systems, to security barriers at the gates and protective shelters for the biggest Pacific fighter wing's aircraft, metal is an invaluable asset to the base and the Air Force mission.

However, it's Kadena's 18th Civil Engineer Squadron's Metal Fabrication Shop members who spend endless hours under welding hoods, safety glasses and a molten rain of sparks, using their skills nearly every day to keep the metal from being one giant pile of scrap.

"There's always something different happening every day," said Tech. Sgt. Dwayne Jones, NCO in charge of the metal fabrication shop. "You never have the same thing over and over. You meet new customers every day and they always have something new for you."

Though this shop doesn't necessarily build jets from scratch, the metal-working Airmen and Okinawans on Kadena are the ones responsible for keeping them safe during typhoons.

Hardened aircraft shelters, massive structures with 60-foot, 20-ton metal doors, house Kadena's aircraft during the tropical cyclones to protect them from the wind, rain and debris. If there are any malfunctions in the electrical systems of the more than 100 shelters' doors, the craftsmen ensure they remain secure -- a process that could take several hours just to close one set.

"We have to coordinate with the flightline crew and get 'tugs' (heavy-duty tow trucks) to push and pull the doors closed," said Staff Sgt. Aurelio Villareal, a structural craftsman in the shop who's been on Kadena for roughly two years and has seen numerous typhoons. "It typically takes around two hours to shut them if nothing goes wrong."

Jones, now a 14-year veteran in Air Force civil engineering, said Kadena's metal shop workers might be the best engineers he's ever worked with.

"I think we're pretty fantastic," Jones continued. "This is one of the hardest-working shops I've ever seen. They kick butt."

But with all the work to be done on base, Jones said his favorite thing isn't the break he gets when he's done ... instead, it's seeing the difference the shop makes when someone is in desperate need.

"The best thing is seeing the end result," he added. "I love to be that guy that says 'the job's fixed,' and being able to see exactly what you did."

So whether they're welding together a fence at the base softball fields or protecting multi-million-dollar Air Force assets, this organization keeps the base's rough edges smoothed down.

"The saying for CE is 'engineers lead the way,' because without us, a lot of things wouldn't happen on this base," Jones added.