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Weathering through change

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alan Ricker
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  In 2017, a 36-year-old Puerto-Rican English teacher in Guayama, Puerto Rico, was left without a house, car, or electricity, forcing him to start over.

Puerto Rico suffered immense destruction after two hurricanes, Irma and Maria, made landfall within two weeks of each other.

“We get hit with hurricanes almost yearly,” said Senior Airman Jorge Colon-Vazquez, 15th Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion journeyman. “We’ve been through this a couple of times — just not to the extent or the magnitude with the hit we got from Maria that last time, but we are very resilient people.”

While assisting with clean-up, Colon-Vazquez overheard a radio broadcasting that volunteers were being sought after to help pass out food and water alongside U.S. military members in San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital, and he made his way there to help out.

Colon-Vazquez worked with an Air Force Reservist Airman named Lopez while distributing humanitarian aid. The more the two talked, the more Colon-Vasquez became interested in joining the Air Force.

With a flooded home, a car in the ocean, and no electricity or water for months, he was forced to quickly make a decision to provide financial stability and a better life for himself and his
wife.

“I worked a couple of towns away, so it wasn’t like I could just work and just walk there,” said Colon-Vazquez. “So we had to figure out a plan quickly so we could get the ball rolling.

‘[Puerto Ricans] are resilient people and we’re not gonna complain; we’re not going to blame anybody else; we’re just gonna do what we can to better ourselves.”

With just 10 years of teaching experience, Colon-Vazquez went into the Air Force as “open general,” meaning he was willing to take any job that the Air Force had to offer at the time. This led him to be chosen for maintenance.

“It was a big switch and a very bold one because — let’s be real — I’ve only done my oil and filter change in my car,” said Colon-Vazquez. “I never picked up wrenches. I’d never done so.”

Four years later, Colon-Vazquez maintains Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines on C-17 Globemaster IIIs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

“This is not a car that you can just park on the side and fix up — nah — we’re talking about people’s lives here,” said Colon-Vazquez. “This is a very important, a very responsible, driven job that people should take very seriously as I do.”

He expressed his hopes that he has made a positive impact since arriving at the propulsion shop, building an environment that allows Airmen to express their thoughts and creates a more cohesive environment.

“(S)Sgt Colon-Vazquez is an outstanding, confident and patient leader,” said Tech. Sgt. Goodman Anthony, 15th MXS aerospace propulsion lead technician. “He is full of wisdom and life knowledge that he is always willing to share with the group.”

Currently, Colon-Vazquez is applying to commission as an officer in the Air Force and plans to continue his career and reach 20 years of service.