Guam proves productive for 146th Civil Engineers Published Feb. 11, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Madeleine Richards 146AW ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A weekend filled with adventure on the Island of Guam! I talked to a few different people to figure out where everyone went this weekend. A big group explored Marbo cave, a freshwater cave that is good to swim in with crystal clear water. Just don't forget a flashlight and come prepared for a short hike to get there! A few of the members have their scuba certification and took advantage of their time off to use it. Those members traveled to Gab Gab beach located on Guam Naval Base. I had set a goal of seeing the whole island before I left. Luckily one of my roommates, Staff Sgt. Brianna Aguon who was born and raised in Guam, took a few others and me on a road trip around the entire island in one day! We made pit stops at historical and scenic sites, and it took us about seven hours from beginning to end. I think everybody had a great weekend and felt like they had time to relax and explore before the start of their second workweek. There were many projects that continued this week. The Heavy Equipment Operators started digging out a hazardous material pad so concrete can be poured in. They also started working on defacing the sides of mountains and moving dirt from two different stock piles into the hole they were working on last week. "It's been going great. They have been getting a lot of heavy equipment operation time," said Staff Sgt. Xavier Martinez Soto, supervisor of the 146th Airlift Wing Civil Engineering Heavy Equipment Operators. The Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning/ Refrigeration (HVAC) crew stepped up and made over 20 air ducts to be installed in the main building. "Typically HVAC in Civil Engineering don't do duct work, but our guys stepped up and as you can see they are really bending out some quality work. These guys are highly motivated and ambitious," said Senior Master Sgt. Ruel Gadbury who oversees HVAC. The plumbing crew has been staying busy as well. They have been installing a bathroom and working on the fire sprinkler system with a back flow preventer in the main building. "So far so good. We are lucky to have found enough materials to stay busy and make a lot of progress this week," said Master Sgt. Gill Vicente, supervisor of plumbing. They guys in Structures have been hard at work constructing metal wall frames and installing them alongside the interior of the building. Electrical has hung the electrical box and run associated piping inside the structure. They are going to continue to work on the lighting circuits for the interior and exterior of the site. "We have covered a lot of ground this past week," said Airman 1st Class Jessica Ochoa. "We hit the ground running, just like we always do." "We wanted to get a lot done in a short amount of time and it was a very optimistic schedule," explained Gadbury. "And it looks like we are right on track." Attitudes are positive here in all areas of construction. "We have met and exceeded our expectations for the week as far as what we needed to get done," stated Martinez-Soto. "I am very appreciative of what the 554th Red Horse Squadron is letting us do." It has been a busy week for everyone and I can honestly say there is always something to write about and cover. This group has been working from 0700 to 1700 everyday. As the second weekend approaches, everyone is ready to take another break and continue to work for the beginning of next week! Keep up the good work CE!
Guam proves productive for 146th Civil Engineers Published Feb. 11, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Madeleine Richards 146AW ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A weekend filled with adventure on the Island of Guam! I talked to a few different people to figure out where everyone went this weekend. A big group explored Marbo cave, a freshwater cave that is good to swim in with crystal clear water. Just don't forget a flashlight and come prepared for a short hike to get there! A few of the members have their scuba certification and took advantage of their time off to use it. Those members traveled to Gab Gab beach located on Guam Naval Base. I had set a goal of seeing the whole island before I left. Luckily one of my roommates, Staff Sgt. Brianna Aguon who was born and raised in Guam, took a few others and me on a road trip around the entire island in one day! We made pit stops at historical and scenic sites, and it took us about seven hours from beginning to end. I think everybody had a great weekend and felt like they had time to relax and explore before the start of their second workweek. There were many projects that continued this week. The Heavy Equipment Operators started digging out a hazardous material pad so concrete can be poured in. They also started working on defacing the sides of mountains and moving dirt from two different stock piles into the hole they were working on last week. "It's been going great. They have been getting a lot of heavy equipment operation time," said Staff Sgt. Xavier Martinez Soto, supervisor of the 146th Airlift Wing Civil Engineering Heavy Equipment Operators. The Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning/ Refrigeration (HVAC) crew stepped up and made over 20 air ducts to be installed in the main building. "Typically HVAC in Civil Engineering don't do duct work, but our guys stepped up and as you can see they are really bending out some quality work. These guys are highly motivated and ambitious," said Senior Master Sgt. Ruel Gadbury who oversees HVAC. The plumbing crew has been staying busy as well. They have been installing a bathroom and working on the fire sprinkler system with a back flow preventer in the main building. "So far so good. We are lucky to have found enough materials to stay busy and make a lot of progress this week," said Master Sgt. Gill Vicente, supervisor of plumbing. They guys in Structures have been hard at work constructing metal wall frames and installing them alongside the interior of the building. Electrical has hung the electrical box and run associated piping inside the structure. They are going to continue to work on the lighting circuits for the interior and exterior of the site. "We have covered a lot of ground this past week," said Airman 1st Class Jessica Ochoa. "We hit the ground running, just like we always do." "We wanted to get a lot done in a short amount of time and it was a very optimistic schedule," explained Gadbury. "And it looks like we are right on track." Attitudes are positive here in all areas of construction. "We have met and exceeded our expectations for the week as far as what we needed to get done," stated Martinez-Soto. "I am very appreciative of what the 554th Red Horse Squadron is letting us do." It has been a busy week for everyone and I can honestly say there is always something to write about and cover. This group has been working from 0700 to 1700 everyday. As the second weekend approaches, everyone is ready to take another break and continue to work for the beginning of next week! Keep up the good work CE!