BAGHDAD, Iraq –
Name: Senior Airman Wilbur Raguini
Home Unit: 1st Civil Engineer Squadron
What do you do? Design, drafting, surveying, and contract surveillance to support. Prepares Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings, specifications, and cost estimates. Develops, operates, and maintains Geographic Information System (GIS) modules. Utilizes surveying technology to include Global Positioning System (GPS). Evaluates potential construction sites and performs field tests on soils, asphalt, and concrete.
What's a day in the life like ... while in Iraq? A hard day here is waking up for physical training at 5:45 a.m. and workout individually or as a unit for an hour. Then report to work at 8 a.m., on some days we'll have concrete to be poured and as EAs we would have to take samples of the concrete and test them using two different methods. After the concrete has been poured we return to the office/tent and continue updating the CAD drawings. We would also have to answer any questions that other craft leads may have about the structure of the project at hand. Then after its all said and done, we're released from work at 6 p.m.
What will you remember about your deployment 20 years from now? The people.
What's the most useful item you packed? Baby wipes and hand sanitizer.
When did you realize you "weren't in Kansas anymore;" aka your "Dorothy" moment? The first time I saw combat.
What has been the highlight of your tour? There hasn't been any.
What's the best part of the deployment? Returning home.
The worst part? Arriving/landing in Iraq.
What do you do during down time? Sleep, workout, or go to the morale tents.
What is the first thing you will do when you return? See my girlfriend.
What is the first thing you will eat when you return? Chic-Fil-A, Chipotle, and some home cooked meals.
What insight/experience will you take away from your time over there? To never take for granted what we have back at home...
What do you miss the most? The cold
How is your job that you are doing now different from the job back stateside? Back at home we don't do concrete or asphalt testing.
Have you tried the local cuisine? Yes, and I'm still recovering.
What do you think about what you hear on the news from what is going on stateside?
I try my best not to worry because I have much to worry about here and at home.
Do you have plans for any extra money that you might be making from this deployment? No