JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Joint Base Andrews, commonly known as “America’s Airfield,” is the home of Air Force One, making it one of the U.S. Air Force’s highest visibility bases. The reestablished 316th Security Forces Squadron Elite Guard Section has the duty of protecting the installation as well as the thousands of men and women who visit, work, and live there everyday.
The 316th SFS EGS was reestablished on June 1, 2024. Their duties and responsibilities include verifying proper identification credentials, enforcing the law, and ensuring the safety of everyone on base.
“I am the first line of defense, it starts with who we let on [base] and who we let off base as well,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Skyla Greathouse, a response force leader assigned to the 316th SFS EGS. “If we let one person on who’s not supposed to be on the base, anything could happen.”
Tech. Sgt. Sara Fierro, a flight sergeant assigned to the 316th SFS described the qualities she looks for when selecting Airmen for the section. Airmen must have a strong work ethic, be self-motivated, strive for excellence, and drive the team forward. Flight chiefs prescreen and handpick candidates to take part in the extended training.
“We made sure we had a good group of people, especially since this is the first time we’ve stood up EGS in a long time,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Cook, a desk sergeant assigned to the 316th SFS EGS.
“They’re the best of the best, they’re leaders amongst their own peers as well, these are people that ‘man, I can trust,’” Fierro said. “When they’re put as the gate lead, whoever it is, I give them autonomy to say ‘hey, run your gate how you see fit.’”
Cook describes how this trust and empowerment allow him to embrace his role as a leader in the section.
“It’s developed me as a leader, I'm kind of a new Staff [Sgt.] so being able to get put in that leadership role without being a flight chief,” Cook said. “I get to supervise eight people, or when my counterparts on leave, 16 people, so it kind of throws me in and gives me a bigger dynamic and develops my leadership skills.”
Fierro expressed how being an understanding leader helps her lead members of the EGS to build trust in each other and enables them to accomplish the mission of protecting America’s Airfield.
“You should be compassionate with your people and be able to have that emotional intelligence to sit down and trust that they actually want to open up and communicate with you,” Fierro remarked. “Because if they don’t have that trust with me, they’re not going to want to talk to me.”
Though the members of the section are handpicked, Fierro emphasized that the section operates as a team.
“We celebrate each other’s wins,” Fierro said. “Instead of just I did it, we did it, when somebody wins an award, when somebody gets promoted, they don’t do it by themselves, they do it with their team.”