Security Forces assist at Thunder Over the Empire Air Show

  • Published
  • By Charlie Miller
  • 445th Airlift Wing
Eighteen members of the 445th Security Forces Squadron returned recently from a short deployment to March Air Reserve Base, Calif., where they augmented existing security forces during the bases' annual air show.

The airmen spent most of their time there helping manage the huge amount of visitors to March for the air show. The May 3-4 air show, called "Thunder Over the Empire," attracted about 400,000 visitors. It coincided with the 90th anniversary of March as a military base and the 60th anniversary of the Air Force Reserve.

"We assisted the active duty with traffic flow, monitored who came in and out of the flight line and worked at many traffic control points," SFS member Senior Airman Adam Moses said. "It was a 24/7 operation."

Over 100 security forces airmen from many bases were at March. The Civil Air Patrol helped and local law enforcement organizations participated. Interestingly, there was a group of Marines there and they brought a sniper team. "You could see them on top of some of buildings on the flight line," SFS member Airman Christopher Booth said.

"At the flight line we had to make sure people stayed back from the Predator drones and the F-22's," Airman Moses said. "We made sure the people didn't go into unauthorized areas."

It was an "open base" for two days, the airmen said, and that was a big challenge because no vehicles were checked as they entered March. There were no serious automobile accidents and no pedestrians were injured.

Airman Moses did have an interesting incident though;

"I encountered a civilian male who had been drinking and using drugs. He was inside the base and trying to climb a barbed wire fence to get out."

The airman performed a field search on the man and, with the help of his supervisor, turned the man over to the Moreno Valley Police Department. The man suffered minor injuries from his attempt at climbing the fence.

All of the 445th SFS members assisted the air show staff with the set up and tear down of the air show.

"The duty was something different," said Airman Booth who has been with the SFS over a year now. "I had never operated a traffic control point before. I got lots of questions about where to go, where to park."