An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Aug. 5, 2019

235th Air Traffic Control Squadron stands up in Germany

By Staff Sgt. Laura Montgomery 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard

NEW LONDON, N.C. – Nearly 50 members of the 235th Air Traffic Control Squadron recently joined with members from the New Hampshire and Maine Air National Guard heading to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to assist the 1st Combat Communications Squadron, an active-duty unit, with training on setting up, utilizing, and tearing down a mobile air traffic control tower and deployable tactical air navigation system.

With so many units communicating and working to train together, much information was learned and shared during the experience.

"New Hampshire's come here before on one of their AT's (annual training), so we got to know a little bit about them," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. James Bellissimo, controller for the 235th Air Traffic Controller Squadron. "Our controllers hang out with theirs and the maintenance hung out with maintenance so it was like building a team where we talked about different ideas from different places. They may have a certain way of doing something that helps us out and we may have a way of doing something that helps them out."

While the units were assisting an active duty station, an expeditionary guard component works very differently from the active side.

"My biggest gain from this experience was the fact that I learned that, being a mobile unit with expeditionary skills, which have nothing to with your job like loading aircraft, packing pallets, and coordinating aerial ports and aircrew, a lot of those are crucial skills," said Staff Sgt. William Lucas, radar airfield weather systems technician with the 235th Air Traffic Control Squadron. "It's easy to view yourself as just an air traffic controller or radar airfield weather systems technician, but that's not the case in an expeditionary environment; you are a truck driver, you're setting up tents, fueling generators, any number of things."

Lucas joined the North Carolina Air National Guard nearly three years ago after leaving the Maintenance Group at Pope Army Airfield; he has, along with his parent and sibling, all served in the Air Force in some form.

"I just wanted to try something new, and being in the military in the reserve capacity gives you the unique opportunity to do so," said Lucas.

Every job comes with perks and challenges.

"My favorite part of this job is when you have an issue that's been plaguing this radar for months and you've been beating your head up against it and you finally have this 'Ah-ha' moment," said Lucas. "At the end of the day, we say it looks good, but one thing that's important to remember as a radar airfield weather systems technician is we're serving the controllers, it's what they like to use. The job's not done until they say that we can use this safely."

With constant technological changes and differences between airfields at each base, air traffic controllers are in a constant state of training.

"My biggest challenge in air traffic control is the training, because it never stops," said Bellissimo. "It's stressful at times. Every air field is different; so if I go to a different tower I have to go back into training and learn how they do it and re-learn certain things."

The multi-unit stand-up trained in different activities including setting up the mobile tower, generator training, mobile tactical air navigation system training, site survey training, and cad welding training.

"We were there to help 1st Combat communications, so we brought our mobile tower there and showed them how to use an MSN-7; it was a lot of people's first time actually seeing the equipment and getting hands on with it," said Bellissimo. "It was a good experience to see our whole unit mobilize and go to a European country and act like a real-world deployment, coordinate and welcome active duty and be welcomed by active duty, and we helped each other out."

It was a successful training mission resulting in cohesive unit learning and teaching between the Guard and active-duty forces.

"I thought it was really cool," said Lucas. "It was a prime example of total force integration because you always see active duty taking the lead on showing the Guard and Reserves things, but it's a two-way street."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Cody Lewis, aerospace medical technician with the 157th Medical Group, 157th Air Refueling Wing, poses for a photo after receiving the New Hampshire National Guard Commendation Medal at Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., August 10, 2025. Lewis saved the life of a fellow Jiu-Jitsu classmate in cardiac arrest at a martial arts class in Londonderry, N.H. December 10, 2024.
Beyond the Uniform: New Hampshire Airman’s Training Becomes a Lifeline
By Tech. Sgt. April Jackson, | Aug. 15, 2025
PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. – For Master Sgt. Cody Lewis, an aerospace medical technician with the 157th Medical Group, the discipline and training etched into his very being during his time with the New Hampshire Air...

Members of the Washington Army National Guard, Oregon National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve, participated in Helocast training on the Columbia River, Troutdale, Ore., Aug. 8, 2025. The event, led by the 2nd Battalion, 162 Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Jungleers), Oregon National Guard, included soldiers with 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment, 96th Troop Command, Washington National Guard and 244th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve.
Washington Guard, U.S. Army Reserve Conduct Helocast Training in the Pacific Northwest
By Joseph Siemandel, | Aug. 15, 2025
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Whether on land, in the air or on water, Guard members train to adapt to any mission. The Washington Army National Guard Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment demonstrated that adaptability...

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers from 1st Battalion 168th General Support Aviation Regiment assist in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter load up in support of Enduring Partners at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., August 13, 2025. Enduring Partners 2025 is an exercise taking place in Lop Buri Thailand, bringing together the Royal Thai Air Force, Washington Air National Guard and the Washington Army National Guard.
Washington Army National Guard Prepares for Enduring Partners
By Sgt. Bianca Hayden, | Aug. 15, 2025
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. - In preparation for Enduring Partners 2025 in Lop Buri, Thailand, soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (General Support), 96th Aviation...