U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The first official statement several thousand drivers at the Air Force Academy hear every morning before entering the school isn’t from their commander or supervisor, it’s from a 10th Security Forces Squadron elite sentry.
“Welcome to the Air Force Academy.”
The squadron kicked-off its Elite Sentry Program in April. Security forces Airmen must apply to join the program and score a minimum 90 points on an entry controller test to serve as an elite sentry.
“Every one of our security forces Airmen are trained to a high standard. With this program, we give those Airmen a chance to understand the concept of entry control point operations at any installation they’re assigned to in the future,” said Tech. Sgt. Phillip Mendoza III, the NCOIC in charge of SFS operations.
Mendoza said the Elite Sentry Program is a boon for the Academy and the sentries: it allows highly-qualified Airmen to secure the Academy by working at the school’s most popular gates and polishes their law enforcement and security skills.
“We geared this section toward our younger Airmen for a couple of reasons,” he said. “They are new to the unit and we can mold them into the elite Airmen we want in terms of representing our unit and our career field.”
When they’re accepted into the program, each Airman will serve a yearlong tour rotating between the north gate, the south gate and the gate on Vandenberg Drive in the cadet area.
“We want the best and brightest standing as a sentinel to keep the Academy’s cadets and the base population safe,” Mendoza said.
Airman 1st Class Giovanni Fiorella, of Lancaster, California, is 21. He said there’s much more to working at a gate than a first impression may give.
“We’re the first line of defense for the base,” he said. “If there isn’t security at the entry points, there’s nothing. It’s not just looking at an ID -- there's is a lot you have to look for.”
Most often, the sentries cite drivers for lack of vehicle registration, but they’re prepared to deal with much more than simply verifying credentials and wishing drivers a “good day,” Giovanni said.
Since Giovanni joined the program in January, the sentries have detained drivers for a host of violations, including possession of Marijuana on a federal installation to speeding.
“Patrolmen can and do run traffic radar at the gates,” he said
Mendoza said the Elite Sentry Program shouldn’t be confused with the Security Forces’ Elite Gate Guard Program. But, as a former elite gate guard member at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, from 2003-2004, he said the program brings back memories.
“My biggest reward is to be able to teach the new Airmen how we used to operate during the Elite Gate Guard days,” he said.