ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- The last few months have been a bit of a whirlwind for 1st Lt. Jamie Gurganus.
Lieutenant Gurganus was a project manager in the Turbine Engine Ground Test Complex when she was notified she was being deployed to Afghanistan. She returned to Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in March after a six month deployment, only to find out she had been selected as the base's executive officer. Lieutenant Gurganus later found out June 7 she will have a permanent change of station (PCS) to Wright-Patterson AFB in October.
She said the prospect of deploying was overwhelming at first, but she feels fortunate to have been chosen.
"I didn't have a clue what to expect in the beginning, but it was an amazing experience," Lieutenant Gurganus said. "It was a true blessing, and I'm very thankful I was picked."
Prior to deployment, Lieutenant Gurganus was sent to Fort Dix, N.J., for two weeks of training by Special Forces and others.
"It was all Air Force, from senior airmen to colonels, and we were split up and for 14 days straight you were learning a different skill every single day, whether it was land movement, land navigation, dismounted movements, how to move through a village [or] how to work in a convoy," she said. "It was extremely exciting. Everyone told me training is the hardest part, but I had a blast at training."
Kabul, Afghanistan, was her deployed destination, and she was stationed at New Kabul Compound (NKC), a small headquarters base right outside the Green Zone and a 20 minute ride from the airport.
"I worked for Brig. Gen. Margaret Boor, who's in charge of Task Force Spotlight," Lieutenant Gurganus explained. "I worked [mostly] with contractors, but the majority of the military there were Army. There was Army, Navy, one Marine, myself and a couple of other Air Force members, so we had a very diverse crowd."
Most of the bases, Combat Outposts (COPs) and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) occupied by U.S. troops are actually guarded by Afghani nationals who are employed by private security contractors. Part of her job was to verify, identify and enroll the guards.
The contractors were supposed to train the guards prior to enrollment.
"They go out there and they fire their weapons and have to bring the qualification record to our office at Task Force Spotlight and show proof, person by person," Lieutenant Gurganus said. "They don't have identification, but Afghanis received taskara numbers from the province they were from. [We'd have] to take their fingerprints - a lot of them didn't know how to read and write - and document the best we could that this person is qualified to shoot this weapon, that they know the rules of engagement and that if an incident were to happen that they are trained to react properly."
As part of a specific team that traveled around the Kabul area and elsewhere, she was also involved in biometrically enrolling the guards, further ensuring their identity and their allegiance to NATO forces. She was in charge of the eastern provinces, known as Regional Command East (RC East).
"To biometrically enroll these locals, we [used] a hand-held system called HIDE [Homeland Security, Biometric Identification and Person Detection Ethics]," Lieutenant Gurganus said. "It scans your retinas; it copies all 10 fingerprints; it takes your picture; and it also records your demographics. You can put in their taskara number, their name, where they're from. They don't know their birthdays, so you just kind of 'guesstimate' what year they were born."
She said the HIDE system would link up with other systems to run the guards against the current watch list.
"We'd go through an arming roster list from a COP and FOB, and there's a guard with the same taskara number and he pops up to be the current guy we're enrolling," Lieutenant Gurganus explained. "It lists what he did wrong and what action we should take. We came across a lot of bad guys, a lot of people who had direct links to the Taliban. [For example], this guy had been fired once for stealing ammo and for suspicious behavior."
She said, thankfully, she saw very little actual conflict during her deployment.
"We actually had a rocket attack at NKC the day before I got there," she said. "We had a suicide bombing at a nearby market that was right outside the Green Zone, but it was on one of our main routes and, thankfully, we weren't out driving around that day. If there was any suspicion of something going on, we'd cancel our movements for the day."
Despite the potential danger, Lieutenant Gurganus said she actually felt honored by her deployment to Afghanistan.
"I met an incredible, diverse group of people who I would have never run into in my Air Force career when it comes to civilians, contractors, Navy, Marines, Army," she said. "I made some incredible friends that I will remember the rest of my life. They really became my family over there. It's a stressful environment, but thankfully good friends helped the days fly by.
"I really grew as a person over there; you kind of have to," Lieutenant Gurganus said. "It's a humbling experience. You know everyone signs up for the military with a patriotic feeling, but this is what you sign up to do. The fact that I did my small, small part in protecting our country's freedom, that was just a very big honor."
Lieutenant Gurganus was surprised when she returned from deployment to find that she had been selected as the base commander's executive officer, a slot that is usually filled by captains.
"Captain [Alex] Hausman was on his way out to do his own deployment and I was just getting back, so it was really perfect timing" she said. "It kind of worked itself out.
"When Colonel [Michael T.] Brewer comes in and takes over command, hopefully, he'll keep me as his exec, and maybe I'll just finish out my tour here since I'll be PCSing this October."
Lieutenant Gurganus, a native of Fayetteville, N.C, arrived at AEDC Aug. 4, 2008, with a criminal justice degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Her father, James P. Gurganus, retired after 30 years in the Air Force and now lives in Franklin, Mass. She said she feels fortunate that Arnold was her first duty station and called her time here "amazing."
"At Arnold, it's different," she said. "Second lieutenants and first lieutenants get to have a hands-on experience with the major projects that happen here. We really play a role in supporting the mission at AEDC.
"I really hope that I can take my experience and benefit from it as I go to Wright-Patterson later this year. It's been a good ride, and I'm thankful for every single day, especially my deployment."