From the Frontlines: Senior Airman Cole Koenig

  • Published
  • By Heidi Hunt
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  It would be easy to take for granted the air we breathe, giving little thought to what our bodies are being exposed to in our environment. This all-too-common state of mind is one of the reasons the Air Force employs bioenvironmental engineers, nicknamed the 'BEEs'.

During his last deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Senior Airman Cole Koenig, 509th Medical Operations Squadron, bioenvironmental technician, was one such Airman who took proactive measures to identify and manage health risks in effort to help protect the base population. Airman Koenig returned from JBB in September 2009 where he was assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Aerospace Medical Squadron.

"My job at Whiteman is very similar to the job I did at my deployed location," said Airman Koenig. "One of my main areas of responsibility was to take the readings of the wet-bulb globe temperature, which calculates different temperatures and indicates how much time Airmen should be working outdoors."

Airman Koenig also performed occupational health surveys and went out to work centers to inspect their chemical ingredients.

"We inspected cleaning chemicals, adhesives and evaluated them," he said. "Then we informed Airmen what kind of protective gear they needed to use; such as gloves and respirators to help further educate. I also went into various shops and advised them on which chemicals were used on the aircraft.

"Airmen who handle chemicals with potentially hazardous ingredients and must be aware of the side effects their health is at stake," he said. "For example, we can tell them if there is carcinogen in what they are using, a substance that is known to cause cancer and how to handle it.

"We are here to prevent people from becoming ill," Airman Koenig said. "We are here to oversee safety compliance."

While Airman Koenig spent much of his time assisting with health risk management, he also volunteered his time to the medical burger burn, three-mile road clean-up on JBB and worked on the helicopter pad transporting wounded soldiers to the emergency room.

Combined with his community engagements and work ethic, it's not uncommon for Airman Koenig to perform at a remarkable tempo according to his supervisor, Tech. Sgt. Erin Connolly, 509th MDG bioenvironmental technician.

"Airman Koenig is a very reliable and knowledgeable asset to this office," Sergeant Connolly said. "I truly believe that he can and will excel in every task at hand. He has proven himself here at Whiteman and I'm sure he will impress anyone he encounters in the future."


Overall, Airman Koenig said the best part of his deployment was getting to see the different countries overseas such as Germany, Italy and Iraq, and said he would love the opportunity to deploy again.