Page 1 - Desert Lightning News August 2016

Vol. 9, No. 7 Serving Southern Arizona’s military community, including Davis-Monthan Air Force Base August 5, 2016

AN AEROTECH NEWS AND REVIEW PUBLICATION • WWW.AEROTECHNEWS.COM

‘We’re the last to let you down’: Rigger trades
active-duty career for Guardian Angel mission

Carolyn Herrick

943rd Rescue Group Public A airs

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Before a pararescue- (U.S. Air Force photo by Carolyn Herrick)
man jumps out the back of a cargo plane, the last thing on his mind should
be whether or not his parachute will deploy. He shouldn’t wonder, before Tech. Sgt. Isaac Shapiro packs a parachute at the 306th Rescue Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air
he jumps into a black abyss of water, if the jet ski package will be intact after Force Base, Ariz., July 14. He’s an Air Force Reserve aircrew ight equipment specialist for the
its descent. His focus should be on saving a life. Guardian Angel squadron here, which is part of the 943rd Rescue Group. Shapiro transitioned to
the Reserve six years ago after six years of active duty service to expand his breadth of experience
In order to focus on a search and rescue mission, he has to have confi- and be part of the unique combat-search-and-rescue mission.
dence in the Aircrew Flight Equipment specialists who pack and maintain
his gear. ders and was deployed with the 306th Rescue Squadron to the Horn of Af-
rica this spring. ere, the team operated in an area spanning almost two
“We’re the last to let you down” is the motto of Air Force AFE, and for million square miles. Terrain varied from 19,000-foot mountains to vast,
Tech. Sgt. Isaac Shapiro trading his active-duty career for Reserve job in unpopulated desert; thick jungle; large cities; and open ocean. Because of
the 306th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angel unit here was a chance to the dedicated support of AFE, the team saved six lives, flew more than 500
not only branch out professionally, but also be part of a mission that’s like combat hours, conducted 67 parachute deployments, and provided more
no other. than 2,600 hours of dedicated alert coverage.

Guardian Angel is comprised of combat rescue officers; pararescuemen; “It’s not easy to deploy to such a demanding arena,” said Roberts, “but he
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) specialists, and uniquely- ran the deployment flawlessly.”
trained support personnel dedicated to the Air Force core function of per-
sonnel recovery.

“ is is a niche part of AFE that’s extremely enjoyable because we get
to go outside the shop to the drop zone, work on boats, and go in the field
to support the PJs,” said Shapiro, who is training to be a boat master. “Nor-
mally, AFE is divided by airframe. You would go to a squadron and learn
that airframe – be it heavies, fighters, or helos. Here, we are closely con-
nected to the Reserve rescue mission. We are not on the front lines, but we
are doing a lot to get them out the door and on the bird. It’s way beyond
just rigging.”

In addition to the diversity of work he gets to do, from building quads to
packaging larger equipment to airdrop, Shapiro enjoys working for a team
that has his best interest in mind.

“I feel like I’m doing something to help the Air Force overall, but I am
also able to achieve my individual goals,” he said. “I came in as a traditional
Reservist and worked as much as I could, and because of that I was able to
land an Air Reserve Technician job.”

An ART carries dual status, working as a full-time Department of De-
fense civil service employee and as Reservist performing the same job in an
Air Force Reserve Command unit. is kind of career progression, com-
bined with the specialized mission and a tight-knit community here, are all
reasons Shapiro transitioned to the Reserve six years ago, after six years of
active duty.

“Without us, the rescue mission would be at a standstill,” said Master
Sgt. Pat Roberts, the 306th RQS AFE superintendent. “ e [Guardian An-
gels] can’t do night missions without NVGs [or] jump without parachutes
and the oxygen we provide at high altitude.”

And behind every one of those tasks is Shapiro, who is now on active or-