MEDIA CONTEST: Dirt Boyz - Unsung heroes of the Air Force, Dyess

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ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  There's a group of guys on base that makes sure everything runs smoothly, but they may go unrecognized by many folks who are busy doing their own jobs. They're called the Dirt Boyz, and for a good reason: while much of the base is comfortable indoors, they're out getting dirty - paving roads and air strips, repairing fences and other structures, operating heavy equipment, and sweeping for foreign object debris.

"The Dirt Boyz are heavy-equipment operators trained to operate various pieces of equipment including backhoes, compactors, excavators, dump trucks, sweepers and paving machines, to name a few," said Colonel Barry Mines, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. "In addition, when the wing implements a barrier plan under higher (Force Protection Conditions), the Dirt Boyz are the ones who put forklift attachments on their front end loaders to go set out the concrete barriers to block off roads and parking lots to control traffic in and around critical facilities."

Staff Sgt.William Watkins, 7th CES heavy equipment operator and crew leader, says they work mostly "behind the scenes" - but their job is essential, not only to the overall mission of the 7th Bomb Wing but also to force protection and overall base security.
Case in point: a vehicle ran a stop sign and took out a 50-foot section of fencing at the intersection of Arnold Boulevard and Texas Avenue recently, and security forces called the Dirt Boyz to fix it. They were able to erect a temporary fence that would keep the base safe until a permanent fence could be put up.

"(The Dirt Boyz) are the ones who maintained the base perimeter fence during my tenure at Dyess," Colonel Mines said. "(They) have had to repair the perimeter fence several times due to vehicle accidents which have portions of the fence down. The Dirt Boyz are constantly sweeping the airfield to keep it FOD-free, and they perform small concrete repairs on the airfield as well.

"Even with many of our Dirt Boyz currently deployed, they finished paving a badly-needed parking lot for the OSI and Safety Offices near the base clinic," he added. "The Dirt Boyz provide a lot of support to Dyess."

"These guys are the unsung heroes of the base," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Falkenstein, the Dirt Boyz' supervisor. "They get the job done regardless of weather conditions or time, and, really, if you think about it, the base couldn't run without them."

Sergeant Falkenstein said one of the job "hazards" is often the weather.

"They have to be acclimatized or else they can suffer bad sunburns and heat exhaustion," he said. "Especially here in West Texas, where it's 100 degrees outside and they're pouring asphalt that comes out at 400 degrees."

"It's very physically demanding work," said Senior Airman Matthew Johnston,
7th CES pavements and equipment worker. "You have to be able to move, lift, pull and operate really heavy things (such as) 90-pound jackhammers."

But the work is not only physical, it's also mental, he said.

"We have to be very meticulous and know what we're doing in order to get a perfect end product," he said. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the nature of such grueling work, the group of two dozen is very close-knit, said Staff Sgt. Toby Chambers, also a crew leader.

"Even on the worst days, morale is still high," he said. "We work hard, but we enjoy our time off as well."

Of course, they each have favorite and least favorite job aspects. "My favorite thing to do is refurbishing sidewalks," Sergeant Watkins said. "You get to break stuff and then fix it. But sweeping is a pain - I'm 6'3" and leaning over for that long is really tiring."

"It's very rewarding work," Airman Johnston said. "You can always see a finished product. You drive around base and see something you worked on, and you know it'll be part of the base forever."