JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md, –
Imagine walking through a beautiful patch of green grass on a warm summer day at Joint Base Andrews. The sky is full of billowing, fluffy white clouds and all of the sudden you hear a crunch beneath your foot. You take a few more steps; crunch, crack. What could be making that sound? You look down to see a soda can, an empty bag of chips and a sandwich wrapper.
With barbecues and picnics in full swing, outdoor trash cans have a tendency to overflow. Whether it came from a full trash can or a careless litterer, trash and debris can be an eyesore.
"We have to put the effort into making sure we leave the base in better shape than we found it," said Col. William Knight, Joint Base Andrews and 11th Wing commander. "Taking pride in our base's appearance shows the professionalism in all that we do here at Joint Base Andrews."
Joint Base Andrews does have a few programs in place to fight the litter war. One of the programs is the base pride detail. Their main responsibility is to drive designated routes on Joint Base Andrews, cleaning up trash they come across.
"The base pride detail can actually be a lot of fun, if you make it that way," said Senior Airman James Barrett, 11th Contracting Squadron contract specialist. "But it's all about your mindset going into it."
The 11th CONS, actually contributes more to keeping the base clean and tidy than just assigning Airmen to the base pride detail. After seeing overgrown weeds and fallen branches, the unit used one of their physical training sessions to address the problem, picking weeds and cleaning up around their building.
"It isn't the prettiest job." Barrett said. "You won't be wearing your good uniform that day. But after all the weeds and trash are gone, the Presidential base will continue to be as neat and clean as always."
Base rules state that each building is responsible for the immediate 75 feet around their building. That leaves a lot of land to cover for some of the larger buildings on base, like The Jones Building.
"If you see trash, pick it up and put it in the trash can," said Daryl Blackwell, Jones Building facility manager. "If you're walking and you see trash, why leave it laying there?"
Having pride in the base's appearance doesn't stop at offices, recreational facilities or the flight line. Joint Base Andrews is a home to thousands of Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and their families.
"We don't just work here; we live here and raise our families here," said Knight. "It's important for us to keep Joint Base Andrews clean and beautiful for generations to come, and that starts with us."