39 MDOS Patriot mission support is crystal clear

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Chase Hedrick
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Covering more than 70 percent of earth's surface and composing up to 60 percent of the human adult body, it's no surprise that where U.S. Armed Forces go, water is key.

To ensure that Army Soldiers deployed to Gaziantep, Turkey, have the quality of water needed to keep them running, Air Force Staff Sgt. Henry Lux, 39th Medical Operations Squadron bioenvironmental engineer, traveled from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to provide support.

This particular trip was to certify a reverse osmosis purification unit set up to provide potable water for the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment deployed from Fort Sill, Okla. While some of the water quality tests can be done in the field, other tests require more equipment, according to Lux.

"We support the Army when they need us," Lux said. "If they need any water sampling they can't handle, or if they don't have the equipment that they need, or if they're short on supplies, we'll provide our own supplies and do most of their reports."

While providing a full spectrum of capabilities to the warfighter is part of the 39th Air Base Wing mission, Lux said he particularly enjoys getting to work with members of sister services in the field and learning about the focused versions of bioenvironmental engineering in other services.

"We specialize in different things, versus only one thing," said Lux. "So you learn how knowledgeable they are in that one thing that you don't know as much about and share with each other information about pieces of equipment or skills that we use."

While his deployed counterparts are experts in the field, Lux said his primary work area, where he can make sure his fellow service members are staying safe, is in the lab.

"After 24 hours in the incubator, the water samples we took fit within the standards for potable water," said Lux. "The Army is doing good work and should now have all the water they need to support themselves and the mission."