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With the winter months coming up fast and the hours of daylight gradually shortening, a three-man team from the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron spent July 7 to 25 repairing and replacing streetlights to enhance safety and visibility during the darker hours on Ramstein.
From changing bulbs to digging underground trenches, the 786th CES Airmen successfully fixed approximately 500 lights. Though their efforts have reduced the number of electrical issues, they said their work is far from over.
“We started our night operation by driving around and marking the poles that were out,” said Airman 1st Class Keith Martineau, 786th CES electrical systems journeyman. “We were three hours in and hadn’t even finished marking a quarter of the poles. That’s when we decided we needed a night operation.”
The night operations team worked from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Friday repairing large areas with issues, including parts that house Airmen.
“We had to wait until 10 p.m. to start, because the streetlights don’t turn on until that time,” Martineau said. “Then they turn off at 7 a.m., and that’s when we have to stop, because it’s very hard to tell which lights need repairs if they’re all off.”
Electricity is crucial to the mission. From outlets to light bulbs, the 786th CES electrical systems Airmen replace, repair and maintain these important assets, enabling other Airmen to do their jobs.
“I believe every job within the Ramstein community is important,” said Tech. Sgt. Jason Howland, 786th CES NCO in charge of exterior electrical systems. “We play an important role for those on the flightline, in finance, in medical; we all come together to make it happen. I think being an electrician is one of the most satisfying jobs anyone could have, because you don’t know how much you need electricity until it’s gone.”
The crew said they find their job gratifying, because they are able to see how they directly impact others. Martineau said he revels in the problem-solving aspect of his job.
“I enjoy troubleshooting. When we come to a problem and think we can’t fix it and don’t know what’s wrong, we begin at a starting point and work our way through so we can find the problem. It’s like a puzzle,” Martineau said. “The best part is seeing the customers happy when we’re able to fix something, and that makes me happy.”
Although there are positive and negative aspects of their job, Howland said he enjoys being around Airmen who are passionate.
“Even though there are constant operations going on and unforeseen things happening, I’ve never been part of a unit that’s so ready to learn and has such an optimistic view on what we do,” Howland said. “We try to tell every Airman that comes through here why we do what we do as opposed to just what we do.”
The electrical systems Airmen have an impact on the Air Force mission. Though they are no longer working all hours of the night, they continue to illuminate the path — one light bulb at a time.
