VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Within the 203rd RED HORSE, 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard is a prestigious group of Airmen - the Dirt Boys.
To be a “Dirt Boy” means to be a highly trained and skilled engineer, technician and craftsman who possesses determination in various construction disciplines. It is a term of endearment in the civil engineering career field.
The Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, or RED HORSE, provides mobile civil engineering teams to support contingency and special operations worldwide. They are self-sufficient with rapid response capabilities for independent operations in remote, high-threat environments. They can create or repair runways and erect permanent structures in weeks, from concept and design to engineering and construction.
Foundational members of the RED HORSE, Dirt Boys represent the Pavements and Construction Equipment section. They join other members from the squadron to build buildings and to lay the foundations for anything needed for airfields, airstrips, parking aprons, bare base build outs and runways. The Dirt Boys are critical to the Air Force mission.
“As a Dirt Boy you have plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons and increase your capabilities,” said Tech. Sgt. Jay Powell, 203rd RED HORSE Horizontal Flight training noncommissioned officer in charge. “We have demolition, quarry, crane operations, as well as operating all the heavy equipment that you would expect to see on a normal job site.”
Their primary objective is to ensure that airfields and infrastructure are operational, safe, and capable of supporting aircraft and personnel. They specialize in heavy equipment operation, concrete construction, pouring and finishing, asphalt placement and batch planting.
“Our mission is important because we go to places that have nothing and build bases literally out of nothing,” said Staff Sgt. Kyle Tillson, 203rd RED HORSE pavement and equipment craftsman.
In April 2024, Airmen from the 203rd RED HORSE had an opportunity to participate in a joint field training exercise at Fort Barfoot alongside Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group.
This was the first time both units participated in a joint training environment to hone their proficiencies in heavy machinery. The Army counterpart provided equipment and space to train on scraper and bulldozer skills that the 203rd RED HORSE does not normally have the capabilities for at their home station, State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach. They trained in a realistic environment mirroring challenges and equipment they may face down range when supporting the United States Air Force worldwide.
“With scraper training, you're able to knock out two birds with one stone because along with a scraper, you'll need a dozer to push it,” said Senior Airman Jesse Bradby, 203rd RED HORSE pavement and equipment journeyman. “The training was important to me because I was able to refine my skills in scraper and dozer. On the outside, a good dozer operator could potentially be the highest paid tradesman on the job site.”
The 203rd RED HORSE has conducted missions and put their mark on more than 10 states and 17 countries, covering three-quarters of the globe, from the Middle East to Guam. The Dirt Boys have participated in various deployments all over the world, including Powell and Tillson’s most recent deployments to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. Their most unique mission - building runways and airfields where none existed before. Dirt Boys pave the way for other units flying in and make it possible for aircraft to land so the mission can be completed.
“In my eyes, when a runway is finished being poured and you see that F-15 or F-16 or whatever jet is going across it for the first time, it's the most beautiful sight in the world to me,” said Bradby.