RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Staff Sgt. Colton Walls, 1st Combat Communications Squadron electrical power production supervisor, thought he was just doing what he needed to do to take care of the mission, but he ultimately provided much relief for Airmen during Exercise Heavy Rain 25.
“My team was in charge of setting up the site for the Heavy Rain exercise,” said Walls. “We realized we didn’t have the right attachments for the French fire hydrants, so we were in a pickle.”
Without the correct parts, about 180 Airmen would have been without showers for the two-week exercise.
“We had to work around making adapters fit with a European fire hydrant to get water running for showers,” said Senior Airman Andrew Falsone, 1 CBCS heating, ventilation, and air conditioning journeyman.
Falsone explained they tried calling around, but they couldn’t find a solution, so Walls took matters into his own hands.
“I drove to Germany and went to a hardware store to get the parts to retrofit the fire hydrant,” he said. “I tested it and was able to use the water.”
Although Walls was setting up HVAC, Walls drew from his previous experience working at a surface water treatment plant in Paris, Texas, for seven years before joining the Air Force.
“As a power pro, this was outside of my wheelhouse, but civil engineers make things work,” said Walls. “It was up in the air, we had to be careful operating because if the water pressure increased too much, it would blow up and we’d have to start over, so I was the only one who operated the hydrant and refill the water bladder every day.”
As a safety precaution, an independent duty medical technician tested the water and confirmed it was safe for showering.
“I felt pretty good, I didn’t think much about it, but I’m glad it was able to work,” said Walls. “I know people would’ve been upset to work without showers and we would’ve had low morale and safety concerns.”
His innovation paid off as 435 AGOW leadership took notice. He was coined by the 435 AGOW commander and safety office.
“I thought it wasn’t too big of a deal, and no one would notice,” said Walls. “I was definitely wrong, a lot of people were impressed and wanted to come take pictures with me and the hydrant.”
Walls credits his leadership for empowering him.
“My unit is really flexible,” he said. “In expeditionary conditions, we have to adapt and overcome to get the mission done efficiently and effectively, so they trusted me enough to make a decision and take risks.”