Wing says goodbye to civil engineer squadron

  • Published
  • By By Staff Sgt. Nicholas Monteleone
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  The 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron was inactivated in a ceremony held here July 12 as a result of overall U.S. defense budget cuts stemming originally from the fiscal year 2015 President's Budget Proposal.

"The Air Force has to find a way to be leaner," said Maj. Quinton Sasnett, 403rd CES commander. "Through everything that the Air Force Reserve Command has determined, Civil Engineering units and some other units have been drawn down for the purposes of operating leaner."

Approximately 111 members were affected by the closure with roughly a third of them being absorbed by other units within the 403rd Wing by allowing members to cross-train, said Sasnett.

"It hurts," said Senior Airman Zachary Shoemake, 403rd CES firefighter. "I actually came into the Air Force to become a firefighter here at Keesler or I wasn't coming in at all."
Shoemake has decided to stay at Keesler and is cross-training into the 403rd Communications Flight. His father is stationed here as well and enjoys having those UTA weekends with him here.

The unit's history dates back to the Korean War up through Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom earning six Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.
This is not the first time this unit has been inactivated and it most likely will be needed again in the future, said retired Chief Master Sgt. George L Herrington, former 403rd CES fire chief, who was the guest speaker for the ceremony.

The majority of the unit's equipment is being sent to Grissom Air Reserve Base to be redistributed as needed throughout the command, said Sasnett. He said some of the Fire Department's equipment that won't be going to Grissom, will be donated to local fire departments near Keesler.