SF Exhibits Annex Showcasing SF History and Heritage

AETC History Office

(Photo courtesy of Ken Neal)

If you have recently visited JBSA-Lackland, you might have seen a new sign on the building previous known as the USAF Security Forces Museum. It reads USAF Security Forces Exhibits Annex. This is the place to visit for all things related to the history and heritage of the Security Forces.

You may ask, why did the name change? That came about in 2016 when the National Museum of the US Air Force consolidated the two museum accounts (historical holdings such as uniforms, weapons, photographs, and much more) at JBSA-Lackland into a single account under a single, consolidated museum, the USAF Airmen Heritage Museum.

While there is one museum, there are two distinct museum facilities. Building 10501 continues its long association with the Security Forces career field. Its halls showcase Security Forces heritage exhibits and artifacts. It is a one-of-a-kind place, the only facility in the Air Force Museum Program dedicated to a single career field, Security Forces.

Building 5206 is home to the Airmen Heritage Museum and Enlisted Character Development Center. Its focus is to tell the story of the Enlisted Airman, and it does that through artifacts and exhibits. Under the direction of CMSgt Steven West, the museum system at JBSA-Lackland has plenty to offer. Colorful, informative displays, authentic uniforms, artifacts, and a staff available to answer your questions. In fact, the museum just added a new staff member, Mr George Strader. A former enlisted Air Force historian and curator at the Sheppard AFB, Texas, heritage hall, Mr Strader brings a wealth of experience to the museum. He will be working from the Security Forces Exhibits Annex and is available to assist with historical research and tours.

Both of the museum facilities are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. They are closed on Wednesdays, the weekend, and on federal holidays. To schedule events at either locations (for example, retirements, promotions, reunions and special tours, contact SSgt Ryan Stockbridge at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Defenders Wanted!

Location: San Antonio, Texas

March 20, 2017                                                                   

We at Securitas are looking for knowledgeable and motivated; state licensed Level 3/4 Security Officers to join our mission of protecting our cities water. Veterans of Security Forces have the integrity, experience, and professionalism needed to help maintain a quality of service we aim to provide to our city.

What does Securitas have to offer?

--- Veteran Leadership. The branch and project manager are both Veterans of Security Forces.

--- We commit to our officers. We understand the struggles our veterans face in the job market as well as the work place. As such, we will arm, equip, train and support you to ensure you and our operation remains successful.

--- Career Progression. Our security operation is complex but will be familiar to Defenders. Our duty positions include: Mobile Patrol, OIC (flight chief level of authority), Dispatch (desk sergeants), Personal Protection Officers (personal security detail), and access control (entry controllers).

--- Above Market Starting Wages; $14.00-16.00 per hour with annual increases thereafter.

Who are we?

--- Securitas is the most locally-focused security company in the United States, with over 500 local Branch Managers and more than 88,000 Security Officers who provide unmatched security solutions to meet the specific needs of thousands of businesses. Securitas USA's core business is Security Services. Our main service offering categories are specialized guarding, mobile security services, monitoring, and consulting and investigations.

--- At Securitas USA we believe that the future of our company can only be achieved if we help with the continuity of our people’s skills. We believe in proper recruitment, extensive training and ongoing coaching. We strive to help our employees develop to their full potential.

How to apply?

Email your resume to Dawn Bowen/Human Resources Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or apply online at www.securitasjobs.com

AFCENT Force Protection, Defenders Safeguard Service Members, Mission

By Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, 1 February 2017

A mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicle driven by a member of the 451st Expeditionary Support Squadron Security Forces Flight, patrols the flightline at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 20, 2016. The U.S. Air Forces Central Command Force Protection directorate at the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, acts as the nexus of security operations across the area of responsibility to ensure security forces personnel can protect personnel, assets and, ultimately, the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys) 

AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AFNS) -- In the constantly changing landscape of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command battlespace, one thing remains constant – U.S. Air Force security forces Airmen stand vigilant at installations across Southwest Asia day and night. 

To ensure these defenders can remain prepared for any threat, the AFCENT Force Protection directorate at the Combined Air Operations Center here acts as the nexus of Air Force security operations across the area of responsibility. The staff provides the guidance and support to ensure security forces personnel can protect personnel, assets and, ultimately, the mission.

"Our No. 1 priority is to support the warfighter,” said Col. Michael Gimbrone, the AFCENT Force Protection director. “Our goal is to provide a mission-ready, resilient and air-minded security force, organized, trained and equipped to deliver enduring, integrated defense against threats to Air Force, joint and coalition missions.”

To achieve this, the AFCENT Force Protection directorate uses an interdisciplinary team of logistics, intelligence, anti-terrorism and security forces specialists to identify, counter and neutralize threats to Air Force, joint and coalition personnel and assets. These specialists provide a comprehensive skillset to support defense force commanders at installations across the AFCENT area of responsibility with a complete picture of operational considerations.

“No one person can look at a whole battlespace and have all of the answers,” said Chief Master Sgt. Steven Thompson, the AFCENT Force Protection security forces manager. “We try to look at both sides of the coin to find a solid way ahead.”

The force protection staff also provides guidance and policy support to defense force commanders at the squadron level to help day-to-day operations run smoothly. To ensure the unique needs at each installation are understood and met, the directorate holds a biannual force protection coordination board that brings leaders from each security forces unit across the AOR together for a two-day conference.

Gimbrone said the board aims to provide engagement opportunities between the AFCENT staff and defense force commanders and security forces managers to ensure security forces leaders in the field have the appropriate information, guidance and support they need to execute their missions.

“Our staff exists to support the forces in the field, not the other way around,” Gimbrone said. “Ultimately, it’s our security forces units that have the responsibility of keeping AFCENT personnel and resources safe and secure, and the board is an opportunity to reinforce to them that our force protection staff is committed to doing everything we can to give them the support to enable them to do just that.”

During the two-day board, experts from various sectors of the security forces career field come together to share information and participate in forums to innovate and improve security processes in the field.

“We want to show the rest of the (Defense Department) that Air Force security forces is a viable force and we’re willing to take on new missions and can do them quickly and effectively,” Thompson said. “We want to show that we’re committed to keeping not just AFCENT personnel and resources secure, but also keeping other DOD and coalition partners well defended.”

Thompson said this attitude is engrained in the security forces way of life.

“When we work with joint and coalition partners, our defenders can put aside the color of the uniform or the nationality and work as a team,” he said. “Our career field is all about the fact that it doesn’t matter who you are as long as you have my back and I have your back. When we come together, the job gets done.”

According to Gimbrone, this ability to aid joint and international partners has a wide-reaching affect.

“This truly is both a joint and coalition effort to be able to conduct the missions across the AOR,” he said. “The ability to take the fight to the enemy in Mosul and other places could not happen at the same level if we did not have joint and coalition efforts. Across the AOR, our defenders are working side-by-side with forces from the other branches of the Department of Defense and forces from other nations to keep our locations secure.”

While battlefield and adversary may continue to change, Gimbrone said one thing is certain – he, his staff and the security forces Airmen will continue supporting the fight wherever they are needed.

“As long as there is a need for the U.S. to have a presence in the AFCENT AOR, there will be a need for Air Force security forces to be here accomplishing the mission,” he said. “As we move forward, we will continue to see great accomplishments by security forces as they defend against the enemy wherever they may be. Certainly it would be ideal to have a day where we could have a stabilized, enduring posture in the AOR and not have to deal with emerging locations or an ever-evolving enemy, but until that is the case, then there will be SF in the AOR keeping our personnel, resources and missions safe and secure.”

Citizen Airmen Save Life of Drowning Child

SSgt Daniel Phelps, 349th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs, March 17, 2017 Travis Tailwind

1) Staff Sgt. Rochelle Waters, 349th Security Forces Squadron, poses for a photo outside of the combat arms building March 9 at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. 2) Staff Sgt. Dante Thomas, 349 SFS, poses March 9 for a photo outside of the same building. Thomas and Waters saved the life of a drowning child during an off-day during the recent Exercise Cope North 2017 in Guam (U.S. Air Force photos by Daniel Phelps)

They didn’t set out to be heroes, nor did they expect that their recent temporary assignment to Talafofo, Guam, would place them in that situation.

On Feb. 25, Staff Sgts. Rochelle Waters and Dante Thomas, 349th Security Forces Squadron members, were enjoying an off day at the beach from their training at Cope North when something odd in the water caught their eye.

“We swam all morning,” Waters said, describing the scene. “We were just hanging out after our barbecue. I was sitting under a canopy relaxing. Dante was chatting on the phone.”

A young boy and his sisters were playing in the water, swimming, Dante said. As they swam farther out in the water, the boy started to lag behind. “I don’t know why I looked up,” Waters said. “I saw the boy, about my son’s age, dipping underwater, starting to flail and shouting, ‘I can’t swim, I can’t swim, I can’t swim.” At that point, she started for the water just as Thomas threw down his phone. They both rushed toward the boy. “As soon as I saw him bob, I knew he was in trouble,” Thomas added. “As I was jumping in, she dove in right beside me.”

“I ‘Baywatched’ it,” said Waters. “I stripped down to my suit and dove in. We swam out around 50 yards. I don’t remember who got to him first.” Fortunately, both citizen Airmen have life-saving professions outside of their Reserve careers: Thomas is a police officer, Waters is a nurse.

Once they got the boy to shore, Waters noticed the child’s lips were blue and knew it wasn’t because he was cold. “The water wasn’t cold,” she explained. “So I put him over so he could expel whatever was in his throat. Then, he coughed up a bunch of water. My nursing training kicked in.” She took his pulse and checked his ABCs: airway, breathing and circulation.

“I made sure he was OK,” said Water. “He kept saying he was dizzy, his arms were dizzy and he was extremely tired. ”It was quite a distance to his family over rough terrain, so they couldn’t carry him, Thomas said. Since he was unable to walk, they waited with him.

“We waited until he could breathe a bit better and his pulse was in a normal range,” Waters said. “When he said he was OK, Dante and I swam back with him on our shoulders to his family.”

The family had no clue what had almost happened, Thomas said. They were incredibly grateful.

For the two Citizen Airmen, personal and professional instincts kicked in fast. “The first thing that went through my mind was my son; I have a son the same age,” Waters explained. “It was almost immediate, like a mother’s intuition.”

Thomas said that as a police officer, he is always aware of his surroundings. “I was just enjoying the scenery and saw something that didn’t add up,” he said. “I went from enjoying the scenery to seeing his head bob.”

The two Citizen Airmen don’t see what they did as anything out of the ordinary. “I just did what I was supposed to do,” Thomas said. “It’s like putting on the uniform. We didn’t do this to be recognized. It was just – something’s wrong here, let’s do what we can to make it right.”

Water’s echoed his thoughts. “I think as a security forces member, it’s not that huge of a deal,” she said. “We know that any one of us, had we been in that situation, would have done that exact same thing.”