U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Air Force civil engineers are building two homes for the Navajo Nation as part of the Academy's Field Engineering and Readiness Laboratory this summer.
The FERL is a 5-week summer engineering course exposing cadets to civil engineering and a requirement for Air Force Academy cadets majoring in civil and environmental engineering.
“FERL is the foundation of everything we do in our future courses,” said Cadet 1st Class Kyle Barboza, FERL cadet commander. “The experience gained during FERL is critical to visualizing the lessons is class and applying what we’ve learned in the field to our coursework.”
The coursework rotates cadets through a number of areas. The most visible is the construction of two Hogans, traditional eight-sided Navajo homes.
The Southwest Indian Foundation funds equipment and shipping for construction of the Hogans, while cadets and mentors provide labor. The homes are constructed in halves to allow shipment. When complete, the foundation transports the Hogans to the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico. Homes are put together on foundations and completed before a dedication ceremony.
“One change the Southwest Indian Foundation requested this year is to make the Hogans compliant with the American Disabilities Act,” said Capt. Tim Pach, FERL faculty member. “The families who receive Hogans have members in wheelchairs, so everything is designed to allow for wheelchair access.”
Sixty-nine cadets and midshipmen are part of the FERL project: 43 are Academy cadets, 14 are Air Force ROTC students, five are Army cadets, and six are Navy midshipmen.
Cadets and midshipmen work with 99 active duty, Guard and Reserves civil engineers, including Staff Sgt. Bethanie Jeremenko, a structures’ specialist with the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron at Dover AFB, Delaware.
“I enjoy the hands-on work and interacting with cadets, our future leaders, all while building homes for people in wheelchairs,” she said.
Over the past 23 years, cadets built 41 Hogans. This year, the FERL team is adding the 42nd and 43rd Hogans to the list. FERL concluded June 24.