819th RED HORSE hosts open house

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katrina Heikkinen
  • 341st Missile Wing Public AFfairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  They have been searching since 1997, but the search is finally over.

Despite the rain, the 819th RED HORSE Squadron kicked off their annual open house June 3 at noon. The annual open house shares with families a chance to see the unique capabilities of the RHS, but what made this year's special was the donation of a 1958 Caterpillar D7 Bulldozer.

"In every RED HORSE unit across the world, there are iconic fixtures and typically they're the statue of the horse and a bulldozer," said Col. Gregory Rosenmerkel, 819th RHS commander.

Thanks to Russel Olsen, a Kallspell native, the 819th RHS now has a 1958 Caterpillar D7 Bulldozer to match the other RHS units.

The bulldozer was originally used on Mr. Olsen's family farm, but after the engine went out, it was of no use.

"Kelly Fisher, who used to be in a RED HORSE unit, had been a friend of mine for years, came to us and said they were looking for one and wanted to know if we could donate it," Mr. Olsen said.

After the bulldozer was retrieved, it was disassembled, sanded and refurbished before it was ready to be put on display.

"We put in approximately 2,500 man-hours to complete it from start to finish," said Master Sgt. Casey Kuhn, heavy equipment operator, 819th RHS.

With friends and family in the Air Force, Mr. Olsen was more than glad to make the donation.

"It was nice to donate to the Air Force," Mr. Olsen said. "They did a lot of work to it and they really made it look nice. It's a great monument out there; I think it'll look really great out in front of the building."

Along with the dedication of the bulldozer, people were allowed to browse the heavy equipment operated by RHS personnel.

Colonel Rosenmerkel said they wanted to make the open house hands-on, so children were encouraged to climb on the equipment.

"Every shop has set up a static display kind of demonstrating a little bit of what the significant and unique capabilities are," Colonel Rosenmerkel said.

For Airman 1st Class Brandon Dixon, a pavement and construction equipment apprentice, his time at RED HORSE has been very rewarding.

"I've been on one deployment so far," said Airman Dixon.

He also said it has been good to see the world.

Colonel Rosenmerkel said he hopes the open house encourages children in the community and families to choose engineering as a way of life.