ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
Leaders from the 316th Wing, 89th Airlift Wing, and the Air Force District of Washington recently travelled roughly 30 miles north of Andrews to visit the 89th Communications Squadron's Davidsonville Transmitter Site and meet some of the men and women that work there - the "D-ville Dragons."
Colonel John Long, 316th Mission Support Group commander, Col. Robert Mulheran, 89th Airlift Support Group commander, and Col. Brian Bellacicco, AFDW's director of logistics, installations and mission support, toured the site, received a mission brief and discussed the future of the historic, yet still vital,
facility.
"The antennas and personnel who maintain them are critical to Air Mobility Command as they support nearly all global airlift operations" said Colonel Mulheran. "By maintaining the site and its equipment the men and women of the Davidsonville Transmitter site enable communications reach-back capability for all AMC gray-tail aircraft, very important person special air mission, or VIPSAM, aircraft, White House Communications Agency, Department of State and U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM."
Other missions supported at the Davidsonville site include: the TOP 5 - President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff; command and control for mobility Air Forces; global humanitarian and North Atlantic Treaty Organization support; Air Force Space Command launch and recovery operations; dissemination of emergency action messages; 1st Helicopter Squadron and secure high frequency e-mail to the Air Force's Airborne Warning and Control System fleet.
"The men and women of the Davidsonville Transmitter site day in and day out do a phenomenal job," said Colonel Mulheran. "The site personnel repeatedly earn the admiration of senior Wing leadership for their professionalism that goes above and beyond their daily mission."
This professionalism clearly shows in the day-to-day maintenance of the installation. All three colonels were impressed by the overall condition of more than 50-year-old facility.
"While old, the all who visit Davidsonville Site immediately see the pride the site's personnel take in maintaining the facility," said Colonel Mulheran. "It is essential that the Davidsonville site present a first class physical impression to match the top notch work done by its personnel."
The facility was established in 1953 and sits on 980 acres of beautiful woods and grassland of the Maryland countryside. It is made up of four work centers: satellite and wideband maintenance, HF global radio maintenance, antenna maintenance and power production.
The 40 personnel assigned are charged with a 24/7 operation and security of the facility. This includes maintenance of all communications and support equipment located at the Davidsonville Transmitter site, and also the Brandywine Receiver site.
The Brandywine site is an unmanned communications facility contained on 1640 acres, housing high frequency SCOPE command receivers. It is remotely monitored by Davidsonville personnel.
"A typical day at Davidsonville involves physical fitness training, repairing communication outages, and site and grounds maintenance," said Senior Master Sgt. Walter Cox, 89 CS flight superintendent. "Personnel take a great deal of pride in being assigned to those workcenters and being a D-ville Dragon."
Sergeant Cox said his very first Air Force assignment was at Brandywine, some 25 years ago, when it was still manned. He also said in contrast to the sophisticated equipment and complex mission of the Davidsonville Transmitter site, how they gained their moniker the "Dragons" is rather uncomplicated.
"Many years ago someone came up with the name because they knew how to draw a dragon, and it sounded good - the D-ville Dragons," said Sergeant Cox.