Island Readiness: Airman Spotlight Published Jan. 19, 2022 By Airman 1st Class Janae Masoner 139th Airlift Wing KAPOLEI, Hawaii — Airmen of the 241st Air Traffic Control Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, work together to tear down the AN-MPN-14K Landing Control Central radar system. This exercise is designed to keep airmen up to date with mobility training. U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Zachary Rupert, an air traffic controller with the 241st Air Traffic Control Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, takes on the task of being a cable runner to provide support for radar in the tear down. Rupert has served in the military as an air traffic controller for a total of 10 years and does such on the civilian side. Having volunteered for multiple relief and support missions, Rupert is no stranger to answering his nation’s call. “He can take any kind of negative situation, negative workload or hard workload and make it into a positive just because of his positive attitude,” says U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Andrew McCune, an air traffic controller with the 241st Air Traffic Control Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard. Here in Hawaii, Rupert works in tandem with the rest of the 241st ATCS to achieve greater readiness and a stronger camaraderie. “I think a lot of people misunderstand what the National Guard does, and they think we are just part-timers, which we are, but we’re the first ones out in most deployments,” said Rupert. “It’s our whole job to be ready and be able to deploy whenever we’re needed.”