Restoration project on remote national park brings together military, community

  • Published
  • By Ross Tweten
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  The national parks have long inspired a national pride and love of country among the citizens of the United States. But perhaps more importantly, the national parks provide a physical linking of Americans of the past to present-day Americans, bridging generations.

These virtues are realized on a small remote island in the Dry Tortugas National Park. There, Air Force reservists both active and retired from Homestead Air Reserve Base's 482nd Civil Engineer Squadron gathered at Fort Jefferson over several days in January to participate in a maintenance project for the National Park Service.

Fifteen active reservists, six retired reservists, and one civilian contractor set up shop at Fort Jefferson as a training mission. The main project of the training was the construction of four reinforced concrete bases for large, 24-ton restored cannons to replicate the historical weapon's footprint. They used reinforced concrete with a wood grade "stamp" that gives it the appearance it had in the mid-1800s when the cannon base was actually made of timbers.

Fort Jefferson, roughly 70 miles west of Key West, Fla., is a 19th century military fortification. With a varied and complicated history, it was initially built as a strategic naval post protecting the southern coast of the United States. During the Civil War, Union warships capitalized on its prized location. It also served the Union as a prison. Abandoned by the late 1800s, the fort was later used as a coaling station for warships. As the usefulness of the fort subsided, the cost of maintaining it could not be justified as the tropical climate and frequent hurricanes took their toll. Now, visitors venture to Fort Jefferson for its remote location and the captivating sight that is Fort Jefferson. Visitors also come for the natural resources, such as the snorkeling, swimming and fishing.

A truly rare event across the whole of Air Force Reserve Command, this project features active and retired reservists teaming-up with another government organization, the National Park Service, wherein the reserve component can complete vital training in a cost-effective manner while the NPS accomplishes their mission of protecting, stabilizing and restoring Fort Jefferson.

"It's a win-win-win situation for all parties involved," said Lt. Col. Sean Carpenter, the officer in charge of the project. "Airmen get to perform their annual tour and receive valuable training on civil engineer core competencies in an austere environment from highly experienced, exceptionally competent retirees. The NPS benefits from the incredibly inexpensive labor force that executes the restoration and repair projects at a fraction of the cost they would pay to hire contractors."

According to Nancy Russell, museum curator for the South Florida Collections Management Center, a multi-park museum management program based out of Everglades National Park, the relationship the NPS has with the Air Force is not only mutually beneficial, but it's also beneficial to the American people.

"This is a really great use of resources between two different agencies that has a tangible, visible benefit to not only the preservation of our national heritage but to the visitors of the park who can see the results of this," she said. "The park has so many unfunded needs, and the 482nd represents a huge asset to the park service that we don't normally have. This is a great example of government working together and not being boxed in by each other's limitations."

The project has been an ongoing effort with the 482nd CES and the NPS for several decades. The first projects started in 1973. A wide range of maintenance projects and restoration work followed. Recently, the intermittent work on the bases for the cannons began in 2010.

Throughout the years, one face has been a regular fixture at the park. Retired Lt. Col. Jerry Cheeseman, former 482nd CES commander, has dedicated significant effort to maintaining the relationship between the 482nd CES and the NPS by spearheading projects like the cannon restoration.

"Mr. Cheeseman is an inspiration and standout example of the selfless dedication that I saw from all the retired reservists," said Carpenter. "He's the focal point of impetus behind this entire deployment.

Mr. Cheeseman coordinates with the 482nd CES and NPS year-round on a variety of logistical and planning issues. In short, he is the conduit between the active reservists of the 482nd CES, the retirees, and the NPS.

"Mr. Cheeseman and the retirees have a long history of work at the park and they're leaving a great legacy," said Russell. "For us to be able to work together toward this goal, to accomplish something that has needed to be done for 100 years, is pretty amazing."

The ongoing projects between the 482nd CES and the NPS at Fort Jefferson just make sense, according to Cheesemen.

"The park service provides the materials and some of the tools and we provide the rest of the tools and the labor," he said. "This is an ideal setup for two government agencies to work together and save the taxpayers money."

The quiet dignity of the retirees rings loudly as one important factor of the project for them is that they participated in the project with zero monetary compensation.

"The retirees pay for their own food and travel and receive no compensation in return," said Carpenter. "They volunteer their time and experience to teach the CE Airmen engineering core competencies and share the legacy of the squadron."

The benefits of the project are not only practical, which may shed light on why the project is such a labor of love for the members involved. The intrinsic benefits are numerous as this unique training opportunity provides Airmen with a different type of mission.

"I think one of the reasons why so many members of the 482nd are committed to the work that we do out here, even with the unpaid retirees, is because they can really feel the legacy of the squadron and the work they have done out here over the years," said Russell. "It's a really unique situation because our servicemembers contribute so much in what they do, but this is a very different type of contribution than what they normally are doing. They are contributing to both the preservation and the public understanding of our country."

While the retirees are working with the active reservists, the project provides a venue to foster camaraderie across generations. Living under the same brick and mortar roof, the past and current members of the 482nd CES are participating in a very unique project or, as they put it, opportunity.

"Fort Jefferson is a very special place," said Master Sgt. Jeff Lafreniere, 482nd CES. "Being a part of the long history of the unit working here and enjoying the company of squadron members both past and present, that's really special. Mr. Cheeseman says there's nothing on this fort that the 482nd CES hasn't touched at one point. We're very fortunate to add to the legacy."

Esprit de corps seems to be the main theme among the active reservists and retirees working on the fort. Their unit cohesion and capacity to go above and beyond cannot be understated.

"This is a great group of people," said George Carbonell, a retiree of the 482nd CES. "The best part about coming out here is not only spending time with great Airmen in a beautiful place, but it's the work we get to do as well. We're given a task and we go out there and get the job done. Now I'm old enough to be a lot of these guys' father, and when we older guys get up in the morning, it takes us a little longer to get going, but the work and the people make it worth it."

The fort itself screams history. One can't help but think about the incredible challenge it's construction presented in the 19th century.

According to Russell, it's easy when looking at the fort to transport oneself back to the time it was operational, which is why the creating of the bases for the cannons was so important.

"As visitors approach by boat, those cannons are back to their original positions," she said. "So when you're approaching, you get a vivid sense of the vulnerability that a boat approaching this fort in the 1860s would have had - not with just one cannon aimed at you, but all of them."

Ultimately, the project, for the 482nd CES, is all about training.

"Our Airmen have had to overcome a myriad of logistical and material obstacles due to the remote location," said Chief Master Sgt. David Hanck, 482nd CES. "The retired CE personnel, who have superb knowledge in their crafts, work alongside the active member to help perfect the active member's skills. At the end of any Fort Jefferson trip, we always develop camaraderie, leadership, and a better trained Airman that can handle harsh conditions and overcome obstacles."

The 482nd CES team went to Fort Jefferson with the intent of pouring four concrete slabs on which restored cannons could be placed to replicate the historical weapon's footprint. The work consisted of excavating the desired slab site, building forms in which to pour the concrete, building rebar cages to reinforce the concrete slabs, setting up a mobile concrete mixing plant consisting of two raised concrete mixers and a concrete pump - the concrete had to be mixed on site and pumped up three stories - pouring the concrete, stamping the concrete with a special faux wood imprint on top of the concrete to replicate the wooden planks that were used on the slabs during the fort's original construction, then dismantling and cleaning each site.

While the 482nd CES's primary mandate was to build the bases for the restored cannons, they also absorbed a litany of tasks, putting their diverse skill set to good use for the NPS.

"This is an amazing group of individuals with a lot of skills, and the park has such a maintenance backlog," said Russell. "The 482nd CES has been so willing to step up and help however they can. There's never a question."

Basically, the NPS provides a list of critical repairs or projects they need to have completed. Each day, Airmen are tasked to work orders just like they would at a deployed location. They've tackled numerous demolition and restoration projects, fixed machinery, and took on scores of electrical, plumbing, and carpentry tasks.

"482nd CES is a worldwide deployable construction team; that's our mission in life," said Cheeseman. "Whether it's concrete pouring or rebar tying, carpentry, electrical, or plumbing, the important part is to keep the people trained in the various construction skills to be available to do this on a worldwide deployment."

Two Airmen of the 482nd Force Support Squadron also participated in the project, providing services such as three meals each day to the 22-man team and getting the experience of working in conditions that would be found at a typical bare base.

"Nowhere in my career have I seen a training environment like this that accomplishes so much for all the Airmen involved and gives back to one of our nation's most historic parks," said Hanck.

Just as the national parks inspire national pride and love of country, so do the men and women of today's military. All the superlatives used to describe both converge in this undertaking at Fort Jefferson.

"There's definitely a deep connection between place, time and people with this project," said Russell. "Historically, in terms of the continuity of the military presence at Fort Jefferson, we've had the Army, Marines, Navy, and now 150 years later, the Air Force. We're truly grateful for their selfless acts."