JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Of all Air Force missions, civil engineers seem to have one of the most diverse. Their job spans from maintaining roads and buildings to providing water and power to the base. Essentially, they keep the station running. They are the foundation that allows the rest of the installation to complete their own missions.
At Joint Base Andrews, the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron maintains and surpasses that expectation. 316 CES members maintain a base the size of a small city critical to the support of the president of the United States.
"The mission of civil engineering is in essence to provide readiness, fire protection, facility planning, programming, design, construction, operations, maintenance, explosive ordinance disposal, family housing management, environmental protection, and resource management for a $3.6 billion physical plant that supports the presidential and distinguished visitor airlift missions on the installation," said Col. Michael Saunders, 316 CES commander.
On a daily basis, 316 CES members continually provide maintenance and other necessities to the entire base.
"Every service that 316 CES provides, I think, is vital. We maintain the roads on the installation you use to get to work. We provide the power for the light you turn on in your office. We provide the water that flows if you turn on a water faucet, and we take care of little things that may be taken for granted," said Colonel Saunders, "Almost anything it takes to operate and manage a small town."
Civil engineers not only provide the framework that holds a base together, they also provide important programs to servicemembers and their families such as housing management, fire prevention and family readiness.
"One of the things I enjoy most about 316 CES is that it's very diverse," said Colonel Saunders.
Maintaining an entire installation is no easy task, and yet Joint Team Andrews civil engineer members not only complete their mission, they excel at it.
"We are mission-ready and more than capable, said Chief Master Sgt. Gerald Schenck, 316 CES superintendent, "We do our job well."