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In-house project to have huge impact

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Everyone likes the idea of saving a little extra green. But when it's Air Force green that's being saved, it's something the entire force can benefit from.

Tech. Sgt. Shaun Lyle and Harry Zalewski, 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, created the 27 SOCES Specialized Maintenance Team in 2007 for the purpose of working on multimillion dollar projects for Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and saving the wing countless dollars.

The specialized shop consists of various career fields such as structural craftsmen, electricians and plumbers, all highly skilled in their fields. Personnel asked to be a part of the team are rotated annually to give multiple troops training outside their functional field.

The team has been an instrumental part of various projects around the wing to include the Bataan Death March Memorial, the 27th Special Operations Mission Support Group command office, the wing headquarters and MSG building restrooms and renovations to the Airman's Attic and Thrift Shop.

Adding to their long list of fund-saving contributions for the 27th Special Operations Wing, this outstanding group of hard-working Air Commandos is currently taking on a full renovation of the Tumbleweed Lounge and dining area in The Landing Zone.

"We have been planning this renovation since February 2012 with the help of several base agencies," Lyle said. "This has been a long process due to the project being completed in-house. I fought for us to complete the entire project in-house due to the skills that every one of our craftsmen have and the amount of training it would offer our troops."

The project, which began in early July, has personnel hard at work on a daily basis in the club to get the project accomplished. Younger Airmen display an eagerness to learn new skills and carry a large amount of pride in being part of the overall project.

"We were given this project by wing and MSG leadership along with a very stringent timeline for completion," Lyle said. "The goal is to aesthetically update the lounge area and hopefully encourage every member of the Cannon community to come enjoy what will become an amazing socializing area."

Troops are tearing down walls, removing and installing doors, replacing the ceiling, painting, running new electrical lines, re-routing plumbing lines, installing new wood floors, building a new fireplace and constructing an entirely new bar.

"This type of project is great because it gives younger craftsmen here the opportunity to work with more experienced ones who have been working in their field for years," he said. "It also allows our people to showcase their work and shows wing leadership that we are capable of doing these types of projects in-house instead and saving plenty of money."

"This is going to set the standard for future projects," he added. "In our specialized shop, we strive for perfection. We will not put our name on anything unless it's 100 percent the way we envisioned it. Our work is a direct reflection of us, our squadrons and leadership, so we take our projects to heart."

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