554th RHS ensures buildup of Northwest Field

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Robert Hicks
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
As the sweat drips down the Airmen's faces and concrete mix stains their airman battle uniforms, the squadron ignores it and does what any other dedicated engineers would: complete the mission.

The 554th RED HORSE Squadron is currently spending their days mixing concrete to finish one of their building projects using the tilt-up method, which has become a trend for them.

Tilt-up construction is a process where engineers cast slabs of concrete on the ground and then use a crane to lift them onto a foundation to form the internal and external walls of a building.

When the 554th RHS Airmen realized in 2008 that tilt-up construction was the best practice to use on Guam, they never looked back, constructing eight buildings on Northwest Field. The squadron plans on building at least four more buildings.

"Andersen is very unique," said Tech Sgt. David Popp, 554th RHS engineer. "Because we have to meet the typhoon wind rating to build on Guam, we are one of the only RED HORSE units that build tilt-up buildings every day."

The facility they are currently building will be 12,500 square feet, cost approximately $750,000 and will be used to store all of the electricians' systems equipment.

Projects such as these are beneficial for the Air Force as well as the Airmen, Popp said.

Tilt-up contracts start at $1.9 million and can get much more expensive. By having engineering Airmen construct it, the Air Force saves money while the 554th RHS gets concrete and steel construction training.

"We are a self-sustaining civil engineer response force," said Senior Master Sgt. Roy Stevens, 554th RHS cantonments superintendent. "Our Airmen do everything from mapping out the blueprints, ordering all the construction parts to building it and installing the electricity."

The Airmen here take pride in being one of the busiest RED HORSE squadrons in the Air Force.

"This is the largest troop construction program in the Air Force by far," Stevens said. "We moved to this location about six years ago, and since then we've had to build all of our own buildings. A lot of the other RED HORSE squadrons have been around for a while and are established."

Once the Airmen complete the current tilt-up project, then it's on to the next one. The buildup on Northwest Field never stops.

"We've got the hardest working Airmen on the base and probably in the Air Force," Stevens said. "Some people may go out and do this type of work for a month or two, but our guys do it day in and day out all year long."