By Marine Corps Sgt. Marco Gutierrez
1st Marine Expeditionary Force
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, June 14,
2012 – Temperatures can reach more than 100 degrees here, but one Marine
battles the heat to keep things cool for his fellow service members.
Lance Cpl. Joshua Daniel Flores, a
refrigeration mechanic 9th Communication Battalion, 1st Marine Expeditionary
Force, works every day to keep his fellow Marines and critical equipment from
overheating.
“His mission is important, because he
creates a controlled climate environment for the critical communications
equipment here, which creates a lot of heat in an already hot environment,”
said Marine Corps Sgt. Jeremiah Loeffler, the battalion’s air conditioning
section head and quality control noncommissioned officer.
Flores monitors three sites that contain
living spaces, offices and critical communication equipment. He keeps track of
more than 170 air conditioning units, performs biweekly preventive maintenance
and responds to trouble calls when the units malfunction.
Even though Flores has many people
relying on him to get his job done, he always manages to stay upbeat. “He has a
good work attitude, likes to learn, and he never does the bare minimum,”
Loeffler said.
Flores said he enjoys the satisfaction
he gets when he repairs an air conditioning unit and knowing his supervisors
trust his work.
His biggest challenge is the harsh
environment and inclement weather that give the air conditioning units a
beating and keep him moving and working. But despite the rigors of his job, he
added, keeping Camp Leatherneck running smoothly is all the motivation he
needs.
“Biweekly, I go to all my [air
conditioning] units,” he said. “I do visual inspections, make sure they’re
good, and clean the dust filters. Right now, I already know just by the wind
which ones are dirty.”
Even though his job requires him to be
out in the blazing hot sun, Flores said, he takes pride in knowing he plays a
critical role in helping others keep their cool.
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