LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE< Va. –
Front Line Warrior: Senior Airman Daniel McGonigle
Deployed Unit: 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing
Duty Title: Weather Forecaster
Home Unit: 1st Operations Support Squadron
Hometown: Waltham, Mass.
Time in Service: 5 Years
Describe your deployed duty and the tools you use to accomplish it: My job is to analyze the state of the atmosphere local to Balad Air Base at least once an hour while maintaining awareness of the large-scale weather pattern through Iraq - more often when unfavorable weather is present - and disseminate weather observations that determine whether pilots can take off or land here. I also issue weather warnings and advisories for protection of the base's resources and personnel.
I coordinate weather forecasts with Scott Air Force base to determine expected flight and resource protection impacts over the next 24 hours, which we translate into a local product designed mainly for our pilots. I also forecast weather elements for the upcoming five days, to include solar, lunar and space weather effects on navigation and weapons systems to include night vision infrared sensors and communications systems.
What do you bring to the fight? In the summer months, the biggest forecast challenge and degradation to the mission as a whole are the extensive dust storms, which can be blinding at times. Visibility determines which pilots and planes are able to execute missions or return home safely and also determines a lot of non-flying postures and policies. Some of these include the positioning of security forces personnel, whether flak jackets and Kevlar helmets should be worn, and procedures while driving around base and near the flightline.
Other functions that we perform include passing along temperature and humidity for heat stress conditions (these drive the work-rest ratio as well as suggested water intake), protecting the personnel and buildings/equipment by alerting proper agencies of expected thunderstorms or damaging wind speeds, and determining the state of the O-Zone so that we may recommend the proper SPF sunscreen protection.
What are you overall thoughts and opinions about your mission there? I enjoy my mission and the people I am serving with here at Balad Air Base, but I am just as happy that we are leaving Iraq after eight long years. The fact that I will be here until we pull out of Iraq leaves me with a satisfying feeling that I am part of a mission that is going to take our troops out of harm's way in this country for good.
Supervisor Comments: SrA McGonigle is an exceptional forecaster who came to us at the latter part of 2010 from the 28th Operational Weather Squadron, Shaw A.F.B. S.C,, where he was responsible for forecasting for [multiple deployment operations] so he already possessed a strong knowledge for theater weather effects for that theater of operation. He's a warrior Airman with a battlefield mentality so I have no doubt that he will make us proud!