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OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea - He's coated in sweat and grime;
hardened cement flakes cling to his skin but he doesn't stop, he's
an Airman of the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron's pavement and
construction shop working under the heat of the noon-day sun. Barely
taking time to wipe a brow and guzzle down some water, these Airmen
are better known as the "Dirt Boyz".
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Airmen from the 51st Civil Engineer
Squadron pavement and constuction shop, also known as "Dirt Boyz"
are in there element at a job site on Osan Air Base, Republic of
Korea, July 10, 2015.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Grimm)
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Jackhammering out broken sections of pavement before
mixing, pouring and finishing the new concrete patches, the
“Boyz” perform their primary duties of maintaining Osan's
flightline. Since Jan. 1, 2015, the “Dirt Boyz” have logged
over 3,000 man hours completing more than 2,000 spot repairs
on the 1.5 million square yards of Osan's airfield; but
that's just a portion of what they do.
“Dirt Boyz is
a term applied to an individual that has no problems putting
on a uniform and knowing that at the end of the day they're
going to be covered in sweat, dirt, soot, rust, grease,
concrete or asphalt and it doesn't matter,” said Senior
Airman Chad Beasley, 51st CES pavement and construction
equipment journeyman, “We wear it all with pride because
it's what we do; it's our job, and it is dirty.”
“What it is to be a dirt boy...a real dirt boy
is hard work and long hours in the sun, rain, ice, snow and
sleet; it doesn't matter the weather, we are in it and
making the difference,” said Beasley. “We're working to
build the foundations the base will stand on. If you don't
have strong foundations it'll all crumble. We believe in
quality, positivity, and hard work, you need them all to be
good at what you do in the Air Force, and the ‘Dirt Boyz'
are the best at what we do.”
As experts in a vast
array of heavy machinery, the “Boyz” are the resident jacks
of all trades. Operating everything from road graders,
bulldozers and sweepers to dump trucks, excavators and front
end loaders they are who the other shops in CES call upon
when a project needs to be accomplished.
“Until we
get done fixing a problem no one else can get in to fix
theirs. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning teams
can't get into the ground to fix the cooling pipes for a
building without us first digging the hole. Plumbers can't
fix your water unless we dig the trench,” said Beasley. “We
pave the way for everyone else to get their jobs done.”
Whether coming off a 12-hour shift, working through the
weekend or getting called in at 2 a.m. for an emergency
repair, “Dirt Boyz” are the ones working in austere
conditions and most do it without complaint.
“I have
laid asphalt when it was 100 degrees out and 275 degrees
underfoot, lost five pounds of water weight in a single day;
but I just wipe my forehead, smile big, splash some water on
my face and sing while I continue to work. If you ask me,
that's what it is to be a dirt boy.” said Beasley before
laughing. “'Dirt Boyz', we're the kids that would sit in the
sand box playing with toy trucks, we never really grew up;
our toys just got better and our sand box bigger.”
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Amber Grimm
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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