 TODD MEINTS Master Sergeant Todd Meints graduated from Tri County High School – May 1985. He joined the U.S. Air Force in – December 1985 Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB Texas May 1986-December 1990 1010 Civil Engineering Squadron Heavy Equipment Operator, Colorado Springs CO (NORAD) January 1991-January 1992 554Red Horse Squadron, Heavy Equipment Operator Osan Air Base, South Korea; Okinawa Japan; Suwan Airbase Korea February 1992-July 1996 823 Red Horse Squadron, Heavy Equipment Operator, Hurlbert Field FL; RAFO KASAB Air Base, Oman; Shiek Isa Air Base, Bahrain; Eagle #1 Air Base, Bosnia August 1996-July 2002 819 Redhorse Squadron, Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Training and Demolition, Malmstrom Air Force Base Mt. Quiscoyol Guatamala; San Salvador, El Salvador; Fairbanks, Alaska August 2002-Present Combat Engineer Squadron, Superintendent of Horizontal Construction, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Manas Air Base Republic of Kyrgyzstan Todd’s life after joining the Air Force has been exciting and demanding, especially between 1991-2002 when he was assigned to Red Horse Squadrons. A RH Squadron is the Air Force’s front line combat engineer force; there are only about 300 equipment operators assigned to these units at any given time. The mission was to provide heavy construction capability to any spot on the globe, within 24 hours. This usually meant that living conditions were pretty rough. During this time he was away from his wife, and children 50 percent of the time. A person’s family is truly the strength behind any veteran, and the good Lord has blessed him with a strong family. It is they who bear the agony of separation and keep things going at home. Some of Todd’s favorite memories include: Building a runway in Oman at the end of the first Gulf War. He worked 12-16 hours a day for three months straight in 110-degree weather. Twenty-five guys slept side by side in a small room and washed their clothes in a mop bucket. He had a pair of clippers so he was also the barber, (talk about a bad hair day!) The British were there cooking so they lived on beans and toast in the morning and kidney pie in the evenings. Building a fuel farm for the Marines on the island of Bahrain. The conditions are the same as above, but they stayed in a five star hotel and had meals catered to the job site; chicken and rice for lunch every day for 40 cents; at night they ate what was in the markets. This was right after the Gulf War; the Muslim population treated them like celebrities. How times have changed! The day he arrived on the Island, he had a message waiting for him at the front desk that he was going to be a Dad. Landing in Bosnia on Christmas Day, 1996. They had to exit the C-130 aircraft while it was running with our weapons locked and loaded, not knowing what to expect. About 200 Army infantry had secured the airfield a few day prior and their job was to build three tent cities to house an additional 5000 soldiers. The soldiers had been sleeping in the mud in pup tents. They worked in outlying areas of the airfield and it seemed the entire civilian population was armed. There were mine fields that had to be swept before they could do ground work. Russian soldiers stayed in tents next to theirs. They traded rations and uniform items with them. Todd said, “We also settled the Cold War with them by having a snowball fight.” Six weeks later the cities were built and they were on a plane back to Germany. Another Christmas story was in 2000, Guatemala. Todd and 7 others had set up a camp in a small farm village, which had been devastated by a hurricane. They repaired roads and bridges in outlying areas and drilled a new water well in the town square. They lived off of MRE’s and showered in the medical clinic, which was full of used syringes. At night they slept under mosquito netting to keep the scorpions out of their sleeping bags. Stray dogs, chickens and pigs were also constant companions at night. This job lasted about five weeks. The residents had a party for them before they left. Todd said, “The look of gratitude on their faces is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.” The latest venture was to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan earlier this year. This country is on the border of China and Manas Air Base in the main hub for all airflow and supplies going in and out of Afghanistan. They built a 1.5 million gallon aircraft fuel storage area needed for sustainment of troops downrange, using Soviet equipment. Todd had the opportunity to talk with many Marines coming out of Afghanistan. The stories he heard and the look of anguish and pain on some of their faces brings tears to the eyes. A common statement of theirs was that they were ready to go back and finish this war. “There is a lot of talk about the “new Generation” but be rest assured that your country is in good hands”, says Todd. Master Sergeant Todd Meints would like to end his synopsis by thanking all of the Veterans that have come before him. He says that without you and your sacrifices we wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms we have. He would also like to say that in his nineteen years of service he has never seen the military stronger or moral higher. Todd said he doesn’t make it back as much as he would like to Plymouth, but often thinks of Plymouth and what a great place it was to grow up; where we were shielded from many of the problems that this world faces. Todd plans to retire from the service in February 2006. He should have one more trip overseas ahead of him. His family then plans on settling down in Sturgis, South Dakota. Todd says, “Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers throughout the years!” Todd’s brother, Joel, was killed in February, 1990, as a soldier in the U.S. Army in a helicopter accident in Panama looking for snipers during a terrible rainstorm. |
|
|