20th EBS supports coastal cleanup Published Sept. 17, 2007 By Tech. Sgt. Steven Wilson 36th Operations Group Public Affairs ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber capable of performing a variety of missions to support the U.S. and her allies. The Airmen that fly it demonstrated they're capable of diverse missions, as well. Eight members of the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron left their B-52s idle Sept. 15 and volunteered their off-duty time to participate in Guam's 13th annual International Coastal Cleanup. The 20 EBS' cleanup target was in the village of Agat. The flyers said their time was well spent, and they got to enjoy the local scenery. "It was nice," said 1st Lt. Tiffany Bares, a 20 EBS B-52 weapons systems officer. "There was a lot of trash, more than I expected. The beach was pretty - we mainly cleaned a park, which was right next to a marina with a lot of cool sail boats." Lieutenant Bares said she enjoyed helping with the effort to keep Guam beautiful and is glad to have been a part of the operations. "I'm an outdoors person," she explained. "It's nice to know that I'm contributing to help out the environment. We also picked up some trash that could have potentially hurt children and animals." Their efforts were noted by Andersen's senior leadership. "We're a nation at war, and defending America and our allies keeps our Airmen very busy," said Col. Damian McCarthy, 36th Operations Group commander. "That being said, we cannot afford to forget we're a part of this community. Events like this illustrate the great working relationship we have with the local populace. The Airmen that participated in coastal cleanup have my personal thanks." Lieutenant Bares chalked it all up to simply doing what's right. "Some communities try hard to make us feel at home and I think we need to give back to them for being good hosts," she said. International Coastal Cleanup is an annual occurrence on Guam, and Andersen participates in the event every year.