They call this part of Montana "Big Sky country," with rolling plains, few trees and lots of, well, sky. It's also where the son of an Anderson woman calls home, with a job of protecting the U.S. in an area slightly larger than the state of Maryland.
Air Force Senior Airman Jesse E. Puim, son of Trina Anderson of Anderson, is a security forces airman at this intercontinental ballistic missile base, one of only three remaining in the U.S. The 341st Missile Wing is one of the largest units in the Air Force, with 150 Minuteman III missiles spread out over 13,800 square miles within 15 missile alert facilities, and more than 4,000 military and civilians, making it the largest complex of its kind in the western hemisphere.
Puim is assigned to the 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron with the responsibility of controlling access to 10 launch facilities.
"My typical day in the missile field would be dispatching security teams to alarms for nuclear weapons, and controlling entry and exit to missile alert facilities," said Puim, a 2006 graduate of Anderson Union High School.
To support such a large operation requires help from just about every corner of the Air Force career specialties. Everything from administration professionals to chefs, missile crewman, missile alert officers, security forces, communications, services, medical and dental, it all adds up to one of the biggest support operations in the military.
"Without the missile security forces squadron, security of priority level-one resources would not be achieved," said Puim.
For Puim and other airmen stationed here, Montana is either one of the best places to be stationed or one of the worst. Montana can be a haven for the outdoorsman and traveler with major national parks like Glacier and Yellowstone just a few hours away. For others, being in an out-of-the way place like Malmstrom, with no major metropolis or urban centers nearby, can make a tour seem isolated.
"Being stationed in Montana has made me appreciate the warm weather of California," said Puim.
Puim has been in the Air Force for three years with Malmstrom being his only assignment.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 1
citizenactivist writes:
this can be pretty cool duty, I had a similar
job in Cleveland at a NIKI MISSILE BASE with
a dog and a top secret clearance. Problem was
it was right on the shores of Lake Eire which
freezes over in the winter, with a wind they
call THE HAWK coming out of Canada. It was
so dang cold I volunteered for Vietnam to
get out of there.
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