RED HORSE team finishes Holloman taxiway early

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Heather Stanton
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The 819th RED HORSE Squadron out of Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., worked both day and night for nearly two months replacing a portion of the Holloman taxiway with 17,000 tons of concrete in near-record time, saving the Air Force time and money. 

"The team had been working 24-hour operations for the first six weeks, working six to seven days a week," said 1st Lt. Timothy Grady, 819 RED HORSE. The job was supposed to take 120 days to complete. 

Col. Gary Bryson, 49th Maintenance Group commander, said the concrete in that particular area needed to be replaced because it was breaking up, weathering and deteriorating. But, the new concrete will last for another 25 years. 

After the job was finished, Colonel Bryson gave his coin to five Airmen to highlight their work. 

There are three RED HORSE squadrons in the continental United States who are self-sustaining, heavy construction squadrons, said Lieutenant Grady. Each squadron is made up of Airmen from civil engineer, security forces, medical and personnel. 

"The RED HORSE Airmen have the capability to travel worldwide within 24 hours," said Lieutenant Grady. "We go to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Guatemala and Africa." 

The 819 RED HORSE will be leaving Holloman the first week in June after doing some training at BEAR Base and will be getting ready for an upcoming scheduled deployment.