Service member spotlight: all for one

Senior Airman Christina May, 305th Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, is the joint base’s featured service member of the week. May hails from Santa Cruz, Calif. Q: Why did you join the military? A: Joining the Air Force was a pivotal moment in my life. Initially, I joined because I had no direction or discipline and I wanted to see the world. Luckily for me, not only did I gain all three of the aforementioned, but I have gained a true sense of purpose and continue to grow exponentially. Q: What is your job and what is its impact on the mission? A: First and foremost, I am an Airman, and I need to be the best that I can be so that others may also succeed. As an Air Force air traffic controller, essentially my job is to keep all airplanes safe while allowing for the quickest route of flight possible. I get our military planes to their destinations to accomplish the mission and I provide control services to civilian and commercial planes. Q: Do you have any past or current family members in military? A: My grandfather was an Army drill sergeant during the Korean War, and I am the first woman in my family to join the military. Q: Who most inspires you? A: My mother and father are both amazing people that inspire me. I always knew I loved them, but it was not until I flew the coop to join the military and truly be on my own that I realized how incredible they truly are. Q: What is one thing you’d like your fellow service members to take away or understand about the military? A: If there could only be one thing that I would like my fellow service members to understand about the military, it would be that we are all integral parts to the mission and without each other we would be nothing. Do your part and be the best you can be so that others may trust in and count on you and will hopefully be inspired to do the same.

Community leaders give back to joint base

Col. Rick Williamson, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander, and Joe Zarzaca, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron honorary squadron commander, pose in a group photo with deploying members of the 32nd ARS aboard a KC-10 Extender on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., March 26, 2013. Zarzaca delivered more than 1,000 bagels and doughnuts to each deploying KC-10. (U.S. Air Force photo by Russ Meseroll/Released)

Fabrications Flight furnishes aircraft

Airman 1st Class Brandon Mathews, 305th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight structural aircraft maintainer, grinds a piece of titanium for training purposes Feb. 21, 2013, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The Cumland, Mo., native works in the only maintenance shop on JB MDL that makes its supplies for aircraft maintenance, as opposed to ordering the supplies from an outside source. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Sean M. Crowe/Released)

305th APS improves PAX terminal’s family focus

(Left) Senior Master Sgt. Kraig Ferguson, 305th Aerial Port Squadron flight superintendent for passenger services, Maj. Edward Hogan, 305th APS commander, Col. Richard Williamson, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander, and Dennis Pressey, Center Point Construction president, cut the ribbon for the newly renovated McGuire Passenger Terminal Family Lounge and Teen Room Feb. 12, 2013, on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The McGuire Passenger Terminal supports an average of more than 45,000 passengers a year, many of whom are families with children. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne Russell/Released)

ATC tower provides airfield overwatch

Staff Sgt. Kyle Margeson, air traffic controller watch supervisor, and Staff Sgt. Jose Rodriguez, air traffic controller apprentice, both of the 305th Operations Support Squadron, scan the runway for birds and debris to maintain situational awareness Jan. 11, 2013, at the air traffic control tower. The OSS provides the safe flow of arrivals and departures 24/7 to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Margeson hails from Carlisle, Pa., and Rodriguez hails from Philadelphia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Russ Meseroll/Released)

605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

Airman 1st Class Brandon Jones and Senior Airman Juan Velazquez, 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron electrician and environment specialists, change an Auxiliary Power Unit Pack Temperature Demand Controller on a KC-10 Extender that has fluxuating frequencies Dec. 27, 2012, on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The 605th AMXS comprises more than 400 active-duty and Reserve Airmen who maintain 32 KC-10 aircraft. The squadron is known around the world for ‘bringing fuel to the fight.’ Velazquez and Jones hail from Phoenix and Centerville, Ind. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne Russell/Released)

Humvee

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST-- Senior Airman Matthew Covault, 305th Aerial Port Squadron apex driver, secures a Humvee for transport in a C-17 Globemaster III bay Oct. 27, 2012, here. The 621st Contigency Response Wing is moving their equipment to avoid possible damage from approaching Hurricane Sandy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Sean Crowe/ Released

C-17

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J.--Two C-17 Globemaster IIIs stand ready for cargo on McGuire Field here Oct. 27, 2012, as 621st Contigency Response Wing members prepare to evacuate equipment prior to Hurricane Sandy's arrival. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Sean Crowe/ Released)

Joint base prepares for Hurricane Sandy

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Members of the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron slide a pallet of luggage onto a KC-10 Extender here for transport to Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., Oct. 28, 2012. The 305th Air Mobility Wing's aircraft are being evacuated to alternate locations throughout the United States to avoid possible damage from Hurricane Sandy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Carbajal/Released)

JB MDL Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

Airman 1st Class Victor Covarrubiasruiz, 305th Aerial Port Squadron cargo processor, drives a 10k all-terrain fork lift over a scale to get center balance weight and height Oct. 27, 2012, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Weighing and measuring empty vehicles helps the 305th APS members get accurate information from the scale when cargo is being carried. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. David J. Murphy/Released)

JB MDL gears up for Hurricane Sandy

Senior Airman Alexx Isbell, 305th Maintenance Squadron Aerospace Ground Equipment mechanic, moves equipment that can normally be stored outside into a hangar in preparation for the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Sandy Oct. 26, 2012 on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Isbell hails from and Rice Lake, Wis. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne Russell/Released)

Hurricane Sandy

Senior Airman Zachary Matuscin, 305th Operations Support Squadron weather forecaster, monitors Hurricane Sandy Oct. 26 at the Weather Command Center on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The command center collaborates with the 15th Operational Weather Squadron at Scott Air Force Base with updates and current conditions. They will be on a 24/7 schedule starting Sunday morning. Matuscin hails from Oswego, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo by Russ Meseroll/Released)