Vehicle operators exemplify 'I am Air Force Energy' theme, encourage others to follow suit

by Senior Airman Mike Tryon
90th Missile Wing Public Affairs

10/12/2012 - F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Complying with the senior Air Force leadership's "Letter to Airmen" dated Sept. 28, is a task Warren's 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Operations section carries out while conducting their daily mission of providing vehicle support to Warren's Airmen.

"Our mission is to provide alert crews with government motor vehicles," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Giguere, 90th LRS Vehicle Operations supervisor.

Support is also provided through the U-Drive-It program -- a program where customers borrow a vehicle and operate it themselves instead of having a vehicle operator drive the customers -- and vehicle operators provide transportation of personnel and cargo to fulfill mission requirements.

"If our mission didn't exist, it would come down to people having to use other means of transportation, 'The Shoe Leather Express,'" joked Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Kindrick, 90th LRS Vehicle Operations Control Center Support NCO-in-charge.

Vehicle operators support global nuclear vigilance by providing missile field Airmen vehicles or by recovering disabled vehicles from the missile field, Giguere said. While conducting that mission, they take fuel conservation into consideration.

"We use the proper vehicle for what the mission calls for," Kindrick said. "We wouldn't use a big bus to transport two people to a missile alert facility. We do this to prevent over consumption of fuel."

Fuel conservation is not the only energy saving factor vehicle operators take into consideration.

"When machines are not being used, we unplug them or at least have the power turned off to the equipment," Giguere said. "We also use energy saving light bulbs and automatic light switches that will turn off when not being used."

In promoting the "I am Air Force Energy" theme throughout the month of October, also known as Energy Action Month, Warren's vehicle operators offered the following tip in conserving energy: "You can do your part in aiding us by utilizing vehicles properly. Doing that would cut down on the fuel consumption used and how often vehicles would need to go in for servicing," Kindrick said.