Joint Base MDL technical sergeant among deployed Airmen supporting Afghan children

Published Nov. 29, 2010
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- On Nov. 13, Tech. Sgt. Michael Zigarelli was among a group of 15 Airmen Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, who participated in an effort of good will with Afghan children.

Sergeant Zigarelli, a security forces craftsman with the International Security Assistance Force Military Police at Kandahar, went with the other Airmen to interact with more than 45 children from the Kandahar Airfield Bazaar School. According to a 451st Air Expeditionary Wing news report, the Airmen started their morning early by setting up the school and preparing for their creative activity -- building 14 birdhouses with the students. Members of the 777th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's structural shop constructed the different pieces required for the project out of donated wood.

Sergeant Zigarelli is an Air Force Reservist deployed from the 514th Security Forces Squadron, 514th Air Mobility Wing, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. His hometown is Belleville, N.J.

After the creative activity of building birdhouses, the Airmen helped get the students ready for their school lessons, the news report showed. "For an hour, a local Afghan man comes to the school to teach them. The older boys go in one room to learn English, while the younger ones are in a different room doing their Arabic class work," the report said.

After their classes, the Airmen -- including Sergeant Zigarelli -- helped the children implement healthy hygiene habits before eating their lunch. After lunch, they played sports with the Afghans, which the report showed "ends up being a soccer challenge."

In the report, the school's volunteer coordinator, Ms. Amanda Chan, said they are thankful to have the volunteer support for the school.

"Without these volunteers, this wouldn't be possible," said Ms. Chan. "I'm so glad their unit let them come out to do this, and I'm very grateful for the help."

As a security forces craftsman, Sergeant Zigarelli leads, manages, supervises and performs security forces activities to include installation, weapon system and resource security, his official Air Force job description shows. He is trained to support anti-terrorism, law enforcement and investigations, air base defense, armament and equipment, training, information security and combat arms.

According to its fact sheet, the 514th AMW is an associate Air Force Reserve wing located at Joint Base MDL. The wing flies aircraft assigned to the active-duty 305th Air Mobility Wing, also based at Joint Base MDL. The 514th AMW shares the responsibility of maintaining and flying the KC-10A Extender and the C-17 Globemaster III. If mobilized the wing becomes a part of Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill.

Sergeant Zigarelli's service on deployment is also consistent with the Air Force's history of a Total Force team -- active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard -- working together to complete the mission at home or while deployed, officials said. According to the Air Force Reserve Command Web site, the command provides the Air Force about 20 percent of its capability "with only about four percent of the total Air Force budget."

Air Force Reserve Command supports space, flight test, special operations, aerial port operations, civil engineer, security forces, intelligence, military training, communications, mobility support, transportation and services missions. The command is also administratively responsible for all the Air Force's individual mobilization augmentees.

(Senior Airman Melissa B. White, 451st AEW Public Affairs, contributed to this story.)