(heavy rock music) - Welcome to Behind the Wing, the 315th Airlift Wing's official podcast. Here at Joint Base Charleston. I'm Major Wayne Capps, here with my co-host-- - Tech Sergeant Bobby Pilch. - Hey, Bobby, you lookin' forward to another good podcast? - Yes, excited about this one. We've got some great information and stories to tell. I think we're gonna be speaking with a gentleman from our combat camera squadron, which is an all-reserves combat camera squadron. And he's got some great information to share. - They've got such a unique mission. I've worked with him a little bit over the years. I've worked at Guantanamo Bay with some combat camera folks and they have such a cool mission, so I'm excited to hear them actually come in here and talk about their mission. So that's gonna be great. - Definitely. - Also, on top of that, we are talking humanitarian aid missions. So 315th Airlift Wing has been flying a load of humanitarian missions lately. I think since October, 72.1 tons of humanitarian aid flown to places like Haiti, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, several other countries that are out there. So we're gonna talk a little bit about humanitarian aid and what it takes to actually get that stuff off the ground and how it also benefits our aircrew. So very cool information coming up. - Yeah, it's definitely major. And you know, a lot of folks think after the headlines, after those disasters subside in the headlines, that it's over and done with and there's no other need. So it's great to see our airmen out there still delivering that aid and helping out with those countries in need. - Oh, absolutely. The Caribbean took an absolute beating and just because it's not in the news right now doesn't mean that people down there don't need help. And we have a lot of great nonprofit organizations around our country that actually pair up with the state department slash USAID organization runs the Denton Program and it's an amazing program to get all of this material over to people who need it at zero cost to them. And we actually use our training time. And we'll go into a little more detail about that. So I'm super excited to talk to one of our load masters who went to Haiti with me not too long ago, this past weekend. And we had such a great mission. We delivered lots of stuff. So I'm glad to be talking about that here on our podcast. Also, our podcast is getting very popular. (cheering) A lot of people are listening. So, you know, that's news to us. - Well, I think it's the talent, Major. I think it's the talent. - Where, where? (laughs) - But no, that's good to hear because, you know, we try to, I know, do these as often as possible. But, again, with us being reservists, trying to schedule that and schedule the interviews, it gets pretty challenging. But that's fantastic to hear that people are tuning in. - Absolutely. And so that's what we've got going on for the show. I'm excited to have you all listen. So that's the show in a nutshell and I can't wait to get into our stories. So I had the chance to talk to one of our load masters, and we're gonna talk humanitarian aid. Take a listen. Well, I'm here in the studio with Staff Sergeant Patrick Hooton who was just on a recent mission with me. We flew down to Haiti to deliver some humanitarian. Welcome to the show. - Thank you, very honored. - So let's talk about humanitarian missions for just a little bit because a lot of people, they don't actually realize that we fly a lot of humanitarian, especially here in the 315th. - That's true. I've done a fair share myself. - One of the reasons we do that, it mirrors up really well with the reserve schedule. We can fly down to South America. We can fly down to the Caribbean and use those as training, if you will. And we can also do some good stuff. So, you know-- - It's basically a win-win for either side. - Yeah, so we get to deliver some humanitarian aid and our reservists get training on those short weekend-type trips, so it fits with everybody's schedule. - And it will range from just, I've delivered just a passenger van to pallets of rice and prepared meals. Recently, the trip that we went on, we took a well-digging truck for the people so they can drill and try and get some water. - Yeah, and you know, I've been just doing some research about the kind of things that those people need down in Haiti, and a well-drilling truck, that's the only one in the country, the one that we brought in. So they have to dig these wells-- - I heard about that when we were flying on the way down there and I had no idea an entire country with just no well-digging truck, and that's the first one. - Yeah, they dig wells by hand. Otherwise, they don't get water. So I looked at some stats. This is, the Denton Program office actually manages the cargo that comes in and out that's donated. And they estimated out of the two plane loads of stuff that we delivered, 8,400 people in rural areas of Haiti will be helped. - That's pretty astounding. You could tell the local people that were driving up just to see the truck itself, just how you can tell just the difference that it'll make. - So one of the, I get to fly. I'm lucky enough to fly a lot of times with you guys on these humanitarian missions. And I think one of the most memorable missions I've ever flown to, we went to Guatemala and as I was being kind of the spokesperson while you guys were working your tails off I've gotta go grip and grab sometimes. - Sometimes a lot of moving parts, but it's, me personally, I look over it as we're here to help. - Yup. - That's what I see. - Yeah, and as I was stepping off this plane, this doctor, the story was just amazing if you look into it. Because often times you kinda lose sight of what you're doing, you know? We're delivering cargo. Let's get it off this plane and go on to the next location. This really put it into perspective for me. As I walked off, this elderly lady, she was American doctor who sold her practice, moved down to Guatemala, and started an orphanage. As I walked off and I shook her hand, I was gonna introduce myself and show her what we do, she grabbed me by the head and kissed me right on the lips and was crying. I think all the guys got a good laugh out of it, but this lady, it came from her heart and she was so, it meant so much to her. - I didn't really experience something like that, but I've had a lot of, you know, high-fives and a couple of pats on the back. So my first time flying in Haiti, we brought a couple pallets of rice and just the difference by doing that and seeing the happiness and joy just from the forklift drivers to the people offloading the pallets onto their trucks, it's very rewarding. - And often times we do get a little complacent because we do this so often, you know? It's we'll pull the plane in and, you know, it's cargo going to another location. - It can definitely be looked at like we're just here to do our, it's like a job, I guess, how you say the complacency of it. But then if you really kinda take a step back and really look, it's a big difference. - It is, it is, it is. And I saw when we delivered some rice a couple months ago, the rice ended up going to an orphanage. You think, there's a lot of orphanages in Haiti and a lot of the kids have almost blonde hair, blonde or orange hair because of the malnutrition. And, man, when I saw those pictures it just, it hit my heart. And then they sit-- - I've had a few friends, personal friends take humanitarian trips down there to help out the children and the schools and orphanages as well, and just by seeing those pictures, like you said, it's pretty, it's pretty harsh. - It is. And then we got pictures back from the orphanages as the kids are sitting there with smiles on their face eating these rice meals that we delivered. You really step back and think, wow, we're doing more than fighting wars and delivering cargo and troops overseas. So, we do a lot. - Yeah, just simple as feeding somebody. I mean, you know, we got it pretty lucky where we can just walk down the street and get a burger and fries, but it's a hard thing on their life just to try and get a bowl of rice. - Yeah, so this past weekend we flew down to Haiti. We had two C-17 aircraft that we flew. We had two loaded up C-17s. One was full of cargo. It included humanitarian aid like school supplies. An orphanage was building a library and things were donated. We had a school donate preschool tables. So little-- - Yeah, there's literally a pallet of just two by fours stacked probably four feet high just to help build, just to, you know, something. - Yeah, construction material. And one thing that struck me on this mission, we use shoring a lot to get trucks off. And if you don't know what shoring is, it's basically makeshift wooden ramps so we can drive trucks and vehicles on and off-- - Yeah, sometimes how vehicles are, you gotta look out for clearances because the ramp incline can be a little too much for the vehicle itself. So you gotta either decrease the ramp angle or actually have shoring to put under the vehicle on the airplane so it doesn't mess with the clearances and basically it won't put too much pressure on the floor as well. - So we basically carry a stack of wood that is handmade, little handmade ramps. We started pulling all of that stuff off for the truck and the Haitians came out. They were, a lot of them were more interested in the scrap wood used for these ramps than they were the truck. - Oh, they could do anything with that wood at that point. And we had the forklift driver, because these ramps were huge, they had to have been at least 750 pounds, and so we had to get the forklift driver to kinda use his forklift skills to move these things and help us out. And it was awesome. - And before we go, I have to say I love watching you guys in action. You know, as a public affairs guy, been on so many missions, but I'm off doing my job while you guys are doing your job, and to stand back and watch, I think it's really cool sometimes because as a load master, and you can explain what a load master actually does to the people out there who don't realize what your job is, but you guys work like a NASCAR pit crew. I think it's pretty cool, what goes. When we landed the plane, we had another jet basically in a holding pattern above us and because there's not enough room on the ramp-- - There wasn't that much ramp space because where the air terminal was for regular airlines and then there was just one little spot that basically could only fit one C-17. - As you guys were pushing this truck off, another C-17 was landing, so it was very much a shell game of moving things around. But you and the other load masters, you were busting your humps out there in 90 degree weather out in the sun. And just, when he says these things were 750 pounds, they were picking it up and carrying it, moving, and it was a sight to see, to see you guys work your tails off to get that stuff off quickly. - Really appreciate it. We definitely do have amazing people that are load masters and pilots as well. And what made the whole operation go so smooth, we had amazing communication and planning as well. - And one reason you guys like to use humanitarian cargo for these training missions is because it comes in all shapes and sizes. When we fly down to a place like Haiti, you're dealing with strange and different equipment. You know, you've got sometimes forklifts that you look at and you just shake your head. I actually saw a guy, a forklift started overheating, so he was looking for, they found a bucket of water to pour on the engine of this forklift to cool it down. - Sometimes that's another part where we do fly to other Air Force bases with up-to-date offloading materials and people who have actual training for the C-17, but when you fly into a random place that does not have the actual resources, you have to kinda figure it out. And that's kinda with our job. - There was a lot of problem-solving, that's for sure. So tell everybody, let's talk about being a load master. - Yes. - What is a load master? What do you guys do? - We maintain the cargo compartment. Pretty much that is our office area. We can either load anything from trucks, pallets, and even passengers, and we handle the manifest, cargo manifest, and also we conduct a weight and balance to make sure everything is placed right so the airplane is fit for flight, as well as we back up the pilots if there is any emergency procedures. We're there to back them up in anything they need help with as well. - It's a great job. So is it rewarding for you? - It's the greatest job on the planet to me because my mother was a load master here in this wing for 20 years. I watched her do it. She was activated after 9/11 and I fell in love with it before I even knew what I really wanted to do. And this is my dream. - Wow, that's great. And thank you. And just so you know, after 9/11, I was actually activated and flew with your mother, so that makes me feel really old. So I appreciate that. (laughs) - So, Patrick-- - I appreciate it. - Thank you so much for coming and being part of Behind the Wing. And we really appreciate the insight into humanitarian cargo. So thanks for coming in. - Of course. I really appreciate it. Thank you, again. (rock music) - Wow, Major Capps, that sounded amazing. Sounded like a lot of work, but also very rewarding. - It was a lot of work, you know, not on my part, but on the load master's part. They work their tails off. You know, every time I fly with an aircrew, they really impress me, and especially Sergeant Hooton who we just talked to. When we had that jet on the ground and we had two C-17s, if you imagine in Port-au-Prince, there's not a whole lot of room on their ramp space, especially for two C-17s. Were not talking a huge international airport, you know, it looked like a little pad. So we gotta get two C-17s on, and they bust their hump. I'm telling you these guys worked so hard and they couldn't pick it up with a forklift, they were throwing it on their shoulder. And I can tell you, Sergeant Hooton's a big boy. - And that's where that PT comes in, that fit to fight, there we go. - Yes, absolutely. And they were throwing these big chunks of wood and shoring over their shoulders and just to try to get the mission done. So I'm just so proud of the work that they do. And a lot of times we lose sight of what were doing. To us, it's very much, it's get this cargo, kick it off the jet, and go on to the next mission. But when you see all of these folks outside the fence looking in and all the folks who are there to get your stuff, it's really touching. When you're talking a truck that is a well-digging truck, it will be the only well-digging truck in the country of Haiti, and that truck itself, it's estimated to help at least 6,200 people. And that's a lot of people that, especially in these small villages in outlying areas outside of Port-au-Prince, the stuff that we're doing's helping a lot of people and, you know, makes me kind of proud to be an American. - Yeah, no doubt, Major Capps. It definitely makes you feel proud to wear the uniform. But let's go ahead and roll on into the news, Michael Dukes. - Michael Dukes is News Director. We're excited to have him in the studio. Michael, what's going on? (electronic jingle) - Glad to be here. We've got a lot going on and mainly last month, we didn't have a full show. - We didn't have a full anything last month. There was so much snow here, we didn't have a full anything. - That's right, we had snow began in 2018, which, as you know, Michael, cripples our state. We shut it down. We put up the gates on the borders. We don't let anyone in or out, so. (laughs) - We had full ice. We didn't have a full show, but we had full ice. - That's right. - So on a similar note, we are sending several of our reservists to support the Winter Olympics and so we'll have a story on that coming up later in the show. It's gonna be pretty interesting and-- - Hopefully. - Yeah, and then a news item worth mentioning is our maintainers who are partnered with active duties 437 C-17 maintainers had one of their fourth consecutive Daedalion trophy. - Wow, that's a big award. Four in a row. So that's Air Mobility Command's best maintenance organization. So the Daedalion group, this is something those folks fight for every year. This is four in a row. I mean, if that doesn't tell me that we have the best maintainers around, nothing does. Kudos to the 315th M437 Maintenance Group. Great job, guys. - And last thing we touched on a little bit last month was we do have an airshow coming up here in April, the end of April. - Yeah, so Thunderbirds, Thunderbirds will be in the skies over Charleston. So we're excited about that. What are the dates, Michael? - The April 28th is the public day. - So April 28th, you know, get your folding chairs and get out to Joint Base Charleston and see all that we have to offer. I love airshows because we're behind the gate. We're a little bit of a mystery. So to have the public invited kinda into our domain is unique for us. So we've not had one for eight years, so it's pretty cool. - Yeah, definitely long overdue and I know that some of my friends and family in my civilian job are very, very excited about the airshow, especially being out to come behind the gate, so to speak, and touch and see the aircraft. 'Cause if you're flying into the Charleston International Airport, you can peer at our aircraft from a jet window, and they're just massive. So it's gonna be a lot of fun, especially with the kids, getting the kids out here as well. - And you'll be able to see some unbelievable acts from the sky. I remember last airshow we had, it was eight years ago. We were doing a TV show, not a podcast then. So they asked me to fly in an L-39. It's a Soviet Bloc fighter trainer. It was painted up like the Blue Angels. It was the coolest experience. I was so excited to do it. My pilot shows up and he looks about, he looks he's 102 years old. (laughs) A little worried, a little worried, but he took me up and we did barrel rolls and aerobatics and I held my lunch down. - Was it Chuck Yeager? (laughs) - No, I think he was a lot older than Chuck Yeager, actually. But what an amazing experience. And this guy had no problem yanking and banking that fighter all over the place. And he let me buzz my own house and my wife still is not very thrilled about that to this day, so when she heard we were having an aircraft, she asked me if I could keep my feet on the ground. (laughs) But yeah, so come out in April. You'll see lots of stuff about it on the news, on the media. You'll get instructions on how to get on base. We're excited to showcase the air power of the United States Air Force. - Definitely. - That's all I have for the news briefs this month. - Well thanks, Michael, so much for catching us up on what all's going on in the news. Hey, let's transition to our news talk segment for just a second. (electronic jingle) What we like to do in this segment is take one current events topic that's going on and we like to expand on that and talk about how that affects us and how that affects our wing globally. So this one's probably the biggest news story going on in the U.S. right now. It's the actual Winter Olympics in South Korea. And you have a little tie there, don't you Bobby? - Major, I do. So as you know, we as a traditional reservist, we have to fulfill at least 15 days of annual training per year, and myself and Captain Justin Clark were selected to assist the media at the Winter Olympics, and we're very excited to be going. - So let me get this straight. Are you gonna be actually curling? Is that what you're doing? - I tried out for the curling. I don't have the form for it, but I'm thinking of the Jamaican bobsledding team might be for me. - You're gonna ride with those guys? - I am. Well, we come from Charleston, you know. I'm not equipped for that cold weather over there. So I figured maybe something a little warmer. - So you guys are, it's really cool that a reservist from Charleston gets to go to the Winter Olympics to help out. And I was thinking when the tasking first came out and they were asking for folks who might be a good fit for this, I'm thinking okay, what's the military going to do with the Winter Olympics? And, you know, maybe it's, I don't think that it matters that we're military. I think they're just looking for people to help out in strategic locations, and you happen to be sort of a media expert in dealing with media and news, so you're going to help facilitate news stories with the reporters who are on the ground. - Yeah, Major, I think probably what helps out is my civilian job as well, working for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, it's a very publicly involved organization. - So, you work for the CVB, the Convention and Visitors Bureau downtown, and you do everything. I like to say, you're a sales manager for them, but I like to say, like to toot Bobby's horn just a little bit. He's a sales manager with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and he works his tail off. And his job, along with some other great professionals, is to sell Charleston to the world. So, you know, there's a great skillset there. And he works closely with the media and various outside government and commercial organizations, and what a great Charleston tie to have you working the Winter Olympics. I'm sure it's something that you're gonna remember for a long time. - Definitely, Major Capps. When I saw the tasking come through I was super excited to be doing this. 'Cause I consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How often do you get to serve your country and attend something like the Olympics? - So you're bringing enough tank tops from Charleston, low cutoff shorts, and things like that? A little Charleston flair. You wearing your flip flops over there? - The searsuckers are staying at home, but I have brought some beautiful stockings and leggings which the commander saw this morning what I wore for my blue T test, so we'll see how those go over there. - So a little background story. So Bobby's doing his physical training, his tests that we have to do as reservists, make sure we're physically fit. And so he shows up with these leggings under his shorts. We've had a good laugh at his expense. - Well, you know, Major Capps, it is a little cold. It was chilly this morning. So, as you know, being from the south, we are not accustomed to these cold, time to make sure that we are well insulated. - But probably not Korea cold right now. - Very true. What we're hearing is the temperatures over there are getting to a high of maybe 20 if we're lucky with the wind chill factor a negative 20. - Well, you have fun with that. (laughs) - I will do my best. - But what a great opportunity. Make sure you bring lots of stories, lots of pictures back, and we'll throw 'em up on the 315th Airlift Wings Facebook page so you can follow our adventures and see what we've got going on. So thanks so much. - Great, thank you, Major Capps. (electronic music jingle) - The next story we've got, I love it. I absolutely love this next story because they're a group of quite professionals that you don't think of in the military. These are combat camera professionals. They're unbelievable at what they do. And when you think of the military, you don't think of combat camera if you don't understand what they do. So Sergeant Pilch actually had the opportunity to sit down and talk about what combat camera does and who they are. So I'm excited to listen. (electronic music jingle) - Well, fantastic. I am sitting down with 4th Combat Camera Squadron Staff Sergeant Corban Lundborg who's a combat photojournalist with the unit, and he's from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but his home base as of today is Los Angeles, California. Welcome to the show. - Hey, thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. - Great. So what I'd like to do is kind of introduce combat camera to the folks not only here on the base, but outside the base. Like what is combat camera? What are its primary missions and goals? - As combat photographers, we go out and we capture training exercises, and we deploy and we supply imagery to higher-level military, to Joint Chief of Staffs, to the combatant commands, the Secretary of Defense. Our imagery goes up and helps make strategic decisions as well as goes out through local news outlets. - Wow, so that's, it's very intense work. What type of training is involved with trying to capture that imagery? 'Cause it's not like you're picking up a camera and, you know, out the door you go, go embed yourself somewhere. Can you kinda touch on the training that's involved with that? - Yeah, so actually as we speak, Scorpion Lens is going on. All last week I was here at Joint Base, Charleston training, do some in-house pre preparation training for Scorpion Lens. And that a lot of introduction to combatives and we were learning kind of a little bit more of the combat side of what we do. And it was a lot of in-house training. And last week we went out to Fort Jackson to participate in Scorpion Lens. - And Fort Jackson is, is a huge army training facility which I believe, I think it's like one of the largest training facilities on the East Coast. So were you working hand in hand with the army on that training exercise, or how did it kinda work? - So Scorpion Lens is the First Combat Camera Squadron and the Fourth Combat Camera Squadron working together. The Fourth Combat Camera Squadron is the reserve side. So we are working with the active duty component, training side-by-side and putting to use the camera and the combat tactics of what we do in a very closely-simulated, real-world scenario. - Okay. And now here's something that I think folks will find very interesting is, here you are training, very intense training. You're tasked with going out and capturing some amazing images, but you're actually a reservist. - Yes. - So you have a life outside of the uniform. Would you mind kinda telling folks what you do when you're not here in Charleston and you're back home in Los Angeles, what you're life is like there? - Yeah, so this is my first year with the Fourth Combat Camera Squadron and my life has really been pretty split between the two. Probably roughly six months in the last year I've been in uniform working with the squadron. The other half of the year I'm actually a full-time artist in Los Angeles where I run a creative agency. Very contrasting worlds. Los Angeles world is relatively relaxed compared to the military world. It's very creative, free-flowing. I create my own schedule. I'm painting, illustrating, hanging out, traveling. I do a bit of travel photography and video, a lot of hiking. And then to contrast that, I put the uniform on and I fly out to the East Coast where I live here in Charleston for a couple weeks at a time. And I'm wearing the uniform. And what's really drawn me to combat cameras, I don't have to put the creativity away. I actually keep the creativity flowing right from Los Angeles to Charleston, but it's just now in uniform and I'm doing it for the military in a unique way that I didn't know was possible before I joined. - Wow, so when you first joined the reserve, did you immediately go into combat camera? Was that something that you knew you wanted to do, or did you just kinda fall into it? How did you get introduced to being a reservist and then transitioning into combat camera? - Yeah, I had completely stumbled into the reserves and then by mistake made it into public affairs and then found my way into combat camera. And it's really been a gift. I first came in active duty as a supply troop, which was right out of high school. And it was a great experience. I had amazing bases. I was stationed in South Korea for a year and then three years in Italy. And I loved the Air Force and I loved where I was stationed. I loved the people I was with. But the job was not for me. - It just didn't fit. - Yeah, it just didn't fit my life goals. So after my four-year contract was up I moved to the reserves to just give that a try and see where that lead. And within my first year at the reserves a command chief was walking around the base asking if anyone wanted to take pictures for the base. And to get out of my current situation, inventory and aircraft, I said sir, I'll take that camera from you. - That's great. - So I didn't have much camera experience before that, and that's how I made my way into public affairs. - Okay, so you went through the Defense Information School and kinda started, honed your skills there and then, and now you've been doing it. How many years have you been in the com cam squadron? - This is my first year with combat camera coming up on about a year now, just short of a year. I've been in public affairs for about two years. - Oh, fantastic. - The unit just stood up within the last year. So my first drill was May of last year, and that was when the squadron was officially stood back up. - Great. Would you mind highlighting maybe some of your most memorable moments, or, you know, some of the missions that you've performed that really stick with you, where you've been able to really hone in on your skills being a combat camera photographer? - Oh, every TUI's been very memorable. Every time I'm really going out with a great crew. We keep in touch when we're not in uniform and when we are in uniform it's like family and we pick right back up where we left off. I hit the ground running with the unit. I went right into Limitless, which was the Air Force Reserve mission video where we were put on about two months worth of orders to create a production for the Air Force Reserve to showcase what we do. And we ran that out of Los Angeles, or Southern California area is where we filmed the most of it. And it was a really small team, fluctuated a little bit, but roughly about five of us put together this large-scale production. And that was just, I learned a lot. I didn't know anything about production or what directors, producers, actors, how any of that really panned out. So I learned a lot just right off the ground, kinda fake it 'til you make it. - Yeah. - A good amount of the people on that team didn't know what they were doing. I just came in and was there to learn and help and-- - Just kind of absorb it like a sponge, just soak it all up. - Yeah, I had a background in a little bit of photography at that point, and creativity in general, but as far as just how a production is run, it was very fresh to me and definitely ignited a new love and passion, something that I'm pursuing now kind of after that, and it's something that as a unit we're gonna work to kinda keep a specialty production team together. - That's fantastic. Now, what advice would you give to let's say someone like yourself, for just a young person that's out there that has that creative juice, that creative bug, and they were thinking of joining either public affairs or com cam, what advice would you give them, maybe a good path to kinda get to where you're at? - I think a lot of people don't usually associate, you know, the military with creativity and art, and they see those two worlds as being opposites, and I definitely did when I came in. I think public affairs, and especially combat camera are a great way to hone in on that creativity and still be a huge asset to the military and the Department of Defense. It's the one place where you are free to be creative, think, and really put creative skills to work, and also at the same time be in uniform and capture that same comradery that you have in any other military unit. It's really a unique career field. - That's great. This is great information, and your stories are just really vivid and you paint a good picture. Would you mind kinda maybe taking a few steps back and talk about the training that's involved, maybe describe a typical weekend when you fly out here from Los Angeles, kinda start to finish of what may be involved with the training weekend. - Yeah, half of us are coming from the West Coast. The other half, and we have people from Michigan, New York City, Florida, and some from the local area, so it's-- - I guess pretty diverse then geographically. - Yeah. - Okay. - 'Cause we used to be out on march, so that's why a good chunk of us are still out of that Southern California, Arizona. - Okay. Sergeant Lundborg, if you wouldn't mind just describe a typical training weekend of what's involved when you come out to Charleston from Los Angeles, just if you could kinda walk us through that four-day training weekend. - Yeah, when a squadron travels out to Charleston for our training weekends, our crews come in from all around the U.S. It's a very diverse crew geographically and also in the skillsets that they bring. As reservists, many of them work very diverse career fields outside of this, some creatives. We have guys that work in the video and entertainment industry and some people that couldn't be further away. We all come together and bring those unique skillsets And when we train at Charleston here, a lot of our administration work and kind of home is hubbed here as a squadron. But where we actually work is all around the world. Yeah, we're constantly traveling. We're always on the road. We go from exercise to exercise and it's a great opportunity for travel and seeing new things. A lot of new cities, new bases, and no project is usually like the one before it. Each one brings new challenges and new rewards. - That's great. Sergeant Lundborg, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I know you've got a busy schedule this weekend, but I wanna thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to come and talk with us here on Behind the Wing. And by the way, folks, I want to let you know they are hiring. So if you want to join this amazing team of storytellers and photojournalist photographers, please seek out our information on our webpage and feel free to contact our recruiter. Sergeant Lundborg, thank you so much sir. - Yeah, thanks for having me. It's my pleasure. - All right, take care. (heavy rock music) - What a great story. What a great bunch of folks too. - Definitely, Major Capps. You know, to hear him tell his story of how he got into the Air Force, the Reserve, and then to be able to leverage his creative skillset and bring that to the military is just amazing. - Just one thing that if you can take away, it's there's something for everybody in the Air Force Reserves, which I think is a very cool thing. - Most definitely. (rock music) - Well, that just about does it for this edition of Behind the Wing. We're so glad you were able to listen with us. So please come back next month and give us a listen. This has been Behind the Wing. I'm Major Wayne Capps. - And I'm Tech Sergeant Bobby Pilch. - And we'll see you next time. (electronic music) - Lot of work, lot of work, Very rewarding. A lot of work. And where'd you guys get these mics? - They're great mics. - Test, test, test. (rock music)