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PRANG Services Airmen Support Back-to-Back IRT Projects

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Victor Vazquez
  • 156th Wing

MUÑIZ AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Puerto Rico - U.S. Airmen with the 156th Force Support Squadron, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, assigned duration staff members and rotation teams to provide food support and bed-down operations during two Innovative Readiness Training projects at Kapolei, Hawaii and Redwoods National Park, California between June 15, 2025 – Aug. 10, 2025.

The two IRT projects, each named Redwoods Rising and Aloha Lives Here, focused on providing essential services and infrastructure improvements, while simultaneously offering valuable training opportunities for military personnel.

The participating 156th FSS teams provided support to essential services over multiple rotations, three rotations in California, working from the Redwoods National Park Education Center kitchen where they collaborated with the 124th Force Support Squadron. Additionally, they supported two rotations in Kapolei, Hawaii working from an Expandable Single Palatized Expeditionary Kitchen (ESPEK) where they collaborated with the 154th Force Support Squadron.

"Watching the young men and woman come to a project site they have never been, with hesitation and wonder, and after a two-week rotation, seeing them leave with a sense of confidence is the greatest joy I could possibly have as a Senior Enlisted leader,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kenneth Bennett, IRT deputy program manager. “Our members ARE READY for the fight if the balloon goes up!"

Two stand-out leaders, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adalberto Gonzalez operating from Redwoods National Park and Tech. Sgt. Jeylisse Peña, operating from Kapolei, were recognized for their professionalism, mission focus, and impact on operational success.

“Both, Tech. Sgt. González and Tech. Sgt. Peña were instrumental for these missions’ success,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Raymond Rosa, sustainment services superintendent, 156th Force Support Squadron. “Their tremendous efforts, organization, and structure helped keep food operations running smooth and saved mission funds.”

Between both IRT projects the team supported five different groups, serving 12,558 meals, where they managed a budget of $35,000 in food expenses.

Total efforts saved nearly $390,000 for the communities in Hawaii, minimizing construction time delays by over 40%, helping in the completion of facilities, designed to serve the houseless population of Kapolei.

The impact of the of the IRT project in California provided more than $1.6 million of cost savings to community partners and more than 19,600 training hours to the participating service members.

These efforts helped support the completion of hundreds of construction tasks, showcasing sustainment capabilities and interagency collaborations within joint training missions.

“We are extremely proud of our Team’s efforts, and we look forward to supporting other missions in the future,” said Rosa. “This was a great training opportunity for our members to put in practice their skills and knowledge in challenging environments where they must be creative with what they have.”

Overall, supporting the IRTs allowed the 156th FSS and participating sister units to enhance mission readiness and impact communities in California and Hawaii.