US Airmen clean Greek beach during training deployment

by Staff Sgt. Joe W. McFadden
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

2/4/2015 - SOUDA BAY, Greece  -- Fifteen Airmen assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, cleaned a beach near Chania, Greece, Jan. 30.

The Airmen volunteered to clean up the beach during their downtime from a bilateral flying training deployment between the U.S. and Hellenic air forces at Souda Bay, Greece.

"One weekend, we came here, saw the water and thought it was very beautiful," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Tyler Marcee, a 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels journeyman and event coordinator. "Three of us went rock-climbing along the sides, and we came on a part of the beach that we decided to clean up."

Marcee said organizing the cleanup while on temporary duty had its limitations when compared to organizing an event at your home base. Yet he said the support of his first sergeant and chaplain's staff as well as through word-of-mouth exceeded his expectations for the day.

"We gathered about 20 bags and I'd say about 150 pounds of trash," he said. "More people showed up than I thought, even with it being a Saturday."

Marcee's drive to help out during the FTD also matched the enthusiasm of his wingmen, like U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Wells, a 52nd LRS fuels distribution supervisor.

"We came here for work, but we can also give back to the local community," Wells said. "We saw it last time here on a trip to relax on the beach, and that's how we came up with the idea. Greece is the most beautiful country that I have visited."