The 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron individual protective equipment section at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, has steadily supported the COVID-19 response by providing more than 900 balaclava masks for first responders and mission-essential personnel and more than 7,000 cloth protective masks for the rest of the 52nd Fighter Wing to ensure mission readiness at all times during the pandemic.
Air Force Staff Sgt. William Navarro, the IPE supervisor for the 52nd LRS, and Air Force Airmen 1st Class Joshua Boozer, Corbin Hanly and Bruna Matthews, IPE apprentices, were recognized by their leadership for their vital roles in ensuring Spangdahlem airmen were mission-ready throughout the COVID-19 response.
Navarro said that during normal operations, the shop supports the 52nd Fighter Wing by providing chemical and training gear, deployment bags and support for base exercises.
"If airmen need gear, they get it from us," Navarro said. "Whether it is a tasking for a deployment, or they need cold-weather gear, we ensure they are protected and ready for those conditions."
Virus or not, the mission never stops. You may not see what is going on behind the scenes, but this pandemic has shown us that we are able to adapt and overcome whatever is thrown at us."
Air Force Staff Sgt. William Navarro, individual protective equipment supervisor, 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron
After Spangdahlem changed the Health Protection Condition status to Charlie in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Navarro said, his team adjusted quickly and never stopped helping their customers.
"Whether a pandemic is happening or not, we have a job to do," Navarro said. "People still need to go through a permanent change of station, people still need to prepare for deployments. We ensured our IPE guys were available when they were needed, and we never stopped."
"Once the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] guidance came down with face masks helping prevent the spread, we immediately provided airmen with what we had available at the time, which was the cold-weather face coverings," Navarro said. "Once we ran out of those, we immediately ordered face masks to provide to the whole wing and to our geographically separated units."
Matthews said she and her peers' roles in this process was ensuring they had enough masks to provide for each squadron while continuing to help airmen to receive the proper gear.
"We separated the masks to match the amount needed for each group who requested them," Matthews said. "We were all here in case groups wanted to acquire more masks, or if someone needed other protective gear."
Hanly said their biggest challenge in the response against the COVID-19 pandemic was having to quickly adjust to the constant change in procedures.
"We would get a tasker and then all of a sudden, it would get cancelled," Hanly said. "So it would be us preparing for a tasker all day, and then having to completely change what we were doing. It was challenging going back and forth with the uncertainty that came with COVID-19, but we adjusted as quickly as we could and were able to help those out who needed the proper equipment to combat this virus."
Navarro said he is proud of the work his team did and the impact they've made.
"This was all a team effort," Navarro said. "Virus or not, the mission never stops. You may not see what is going on behind the scenes, but this pandemic has shown us that we are able to adapt and overcome whatever is thrown at us."