103rd Air and Space Operations Group moves into ‘South Park’

  • Published
  • By Capt. Bryon M. Turner
  • 103rd Air and Space Operations Group
Members of the 103rd Air and Space Operations Group are now operating out of temporary trailers in a compound unit members affectionately refer to as "South Park" tucked away within a wooded area on the outskirts of Bradley Air National Guard Base, East Granby, Conn.

The unit first occupied the trailers on Oct. 20 when partial power and limited communications were established by members of the 103rd Civil Engineer Squadron and the 103rd Communications Flight.

"The rest of our power and most of our phones and network connections were up and running a week later," said Senior Master Sgt. Tammy LaCoille, training manager, 103rd AOG. "We're more or less established now, but we're still working out some of the bugs, literally."

The trailers are occasionally visited by what some are calling "stink bugs" believed to be the relatively harmless albeit odoriferous Brown Marmorated Stink Bug; but the Airmen are largely unfazed and are more concerned with waste water capacity, power and heating issues, parking, sidewalks and the coming winter weather's effects on life in "South Park."

"Life's not perfect out here, but it's not all that bad either," said Staff Sgt. Sarah LaTeano, knowledge operations manager, 103rd AOG.

"I think most of us are just happy to see progress being made on our buildings. Moving out here was a step in the right direction."

Construction efforts on the unit's new facilities are scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2011 and, for now, the members of the 103rd AOG remain focused on the mission.