Andersen Airmen volunteer to assist middle school

Senior Airman Nicholas Walters, 36th Maintenance Squadron aircraft electrical and environmental systems specialist, stacks pallets during a volunteer event at Andersen Middle School here Feb. 7, 2013. Fifteen Airmen from Team Andersen volunteered to box and palletize more than 400 desks at AMS and send them to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office on Naval Base Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Robert Hicks/Released)

Andersen Airmen volunteer to assist middle school

Staff Sgt. Clayton Riegle, 36th Operations Support Squadron flight equipment specialist, uses a manual pallet jack to push a stack of pallets during a volunteer event at Andersen Middle School here Feb. 7, 2013. Fifteen Airmen from Team Andersen volunteered to box and palletize more than 400 desks at AMS and send them to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office on Naval Base Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Robert Hicks/Released)

Andersen Airmen volunteer to assist middle school

Published Feb. 12, 2013
By Senior Airman Robert Hicks
36th Wing Public Affairs

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Fifteen Airmen from Team Andersen volunteered to box and palletize more than 400 desks from Andersen Middle School here Feb. 7.

The effort was done to get rid of the old desks and send them to the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services on Naval Base Guam.

"We're very fortunate that our military community supports us," said Deborah Krull, AMS principle. "We couldn't have completed this without the help of our fellow Team Andersen members."

This is the first time the school had to remove a large number of desks from the campus since it opened a little more than 10 years ago.

Mia Plourde, administrative officer at AMS, stated it takes manpower to complete a task this large. Including herself, there would have been one other person available to assist with the desks if the Airmen hadn't volunteered.

After the desks were boxed and palletized, the school staff showed their gratitude by providing lunch and snacks to the Airmen.

The school contracted out the DZSP 21 to load the pallets onto a truck and drive them to DLA.

The DLA receives and screens all property turned in by military services for reutilization and reuse. If property cannot be reutilized within DoD, it is further screened for transfer or donation to other federal or state agencies, or to other qualified organizations. Property that is not reused is sold to the public as surplus.

"It's always a great feeling when you can lend a helping hand and support others here on Andersen," said Staff Sgt. Yvonne Johnson, 644th Combat Communications Squadron unit deployment manager. "Knowing our effort benefitted the whole school and the children, makes this feeling so much better."