Meet the dirt BOYZ Published Sept. 16, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Michael Charles Nellis Public Affairs Office NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The Air Force mission to fly, fight and win is supported through many organizations. These include maintainers that work on multimillion-dollar aircrafts, security forces members who protect the base and a special group of Airmen that help lay the foundation for the installation, which are nicknamed "dirt BOYZ." Organized under the civil engineer squadron, dirt BOYZ are a flight of pavement and equipment specialist. These Airmen specialize in the operation of equipment such as dump trucks, front-end loaders, road graders and bulldozers - all of which are used in destroying and moving of dirt. This is how these specialists earned their nickname. All buildings, sidewalks, runways and roads that exist here today can be attributed to this group of Airmen. "We have our hands in pretty much everything that involves construction, from labor to consulting contractors," said Master Sgt. Lawrence Reich, 99th Civil Engineering Squadron heavy repair superintendent. "We maintain and keep Nellis' flight line, the main base, Creech and various other sites in Nevada operational." A typical day for the dirt BOYZ begins with a roll call every morning, where projects are assigned, followed by project planning teams, equipment checkouts and finally a visit to the work site. "The best part of our job is being outdoors and not stuck in an office all day," said Staff Sgt. Luis Martinez, 99th CES pavement and equipment specialist. "In a way, we help keep the planes in the air because of our construction and repair of the runways." Sergeant Reich said that although these Airmen are able to see the product of their labor with every completed construction project, there are some challenges. These challenges may include inconsistent terrain, extremely labor intensive work and inclement weather conditions that could slow the construction process or make it almost impossible to meet certain deadlines. "When working primarily outside, the weather is always a factor, especially in places where the heat can become potentially dangerous," said Sergeant Martinez. "Seeing the end product and how it affects daily operations on base however, makes this job worthwhile." Training to become a dirt BOYZ is a lengthy process in a joint-service environment. Each member of the dirt BOYZ is subject to a 69-day technical school at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., with the other branches of the military. During the course, these future masters of construction learn to use basic machinery that is used throughout the military. "While deployed, we may be asked to assist the Army or the Marines, so we train with all equipment to ensure we are prepared," said Sergeant Martinez. Nellis, which began as home to a gunnery school with the U.S. Army Air Corps has since expanded to one of the largest bases in the Air Force thanks to the dirt BOYZ. The dirt BOYZ are one of the driving forces behind the expansion of many Air Force installations.
