445 AW reservist coined for supporting Pope Francis visit

  • Published
  • By Maj. Elizabeth Caraway
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  When Pope Francis made his historic visit to New York City Sept 25, 2015, Master Sgt. Kevin English had a unique viewing angle. He wasn't one of the millions who tuned in to watch the procession through Central Park on television. Nor was he one of the 80,000 people lining the streets to watch the Pope mobile travel through the park. Instead, he was running a metal-detecting wand over hundreds of people at one of the park's entry control points as one of the Transportation Security Administration's deployment team members. English was named one of the outstanding players of the day and was coined by the U.S. Secret Service.

English, an Air Force reserve medical administrator in the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, has served as a Transportation Security Officer in Cincinnati for 13 years. A dual function TSO, English is trained in both checkpoint and baggage procedures. He is also part of a Transportation Security Advance Team, a rapidly deployable augmentation team designed to respond to disasters. Teams are equipped with specialized equipment and trained to operate in a variety of conditions. They may also support other contingencies like national conventions and presidential inaugurations. The papal visit was English's first TSAT deployment.

Security was tight at Central Park, he said, with numerous metal water bottles and selfie sticks ending up in the trash. The opportunity to see the world leader in the Catholic faith justified the procedures for the tens of thousands of attendees, chosen through a lottery system. English was one of hundreds of TSA agents called up to help.

"All the people that came through our security checkpoint treated us very nicely," said English. "New York is such a melting pot, with people of every race and religion represented. Everyone was just so happy to have been a part of such a historic event."

English manned one of the park's three checkpoints along with 14 other TSOs from Cincinnati. He "lost track" of how many people he personally checked over, but stated, "I have never run the wand over so many people in my life. I felt it the next day."

Even though he enjoys his work with TSA, English confesses that the Air Force holds a special place in his heart. Born into an Air Force family at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, English joined the Air Force because "it's what I was born to do. I eat, live, and breathe with the desire to support my second family. This--the Air Force--is my second family. I've been here [at Wright-Patterson AFB] for 30 years. I went through 21 moves with my family while I was growing up. I met my wife in the military and we went through Operation Desert Storm together. This is where I belong."

As far as his latest civilian deployment, despite the long hours of preparation and event day activities, English left New York City feeling extremely satisfied.

"It was such a great experience; I would do it again."