MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Editor's Note: This is part one in a series highlighting the lives of Airmen across Malmstrom Air Force Base.
Growing up in West Columbia, Texas, a bus ride to San Antonio for Basic Military Training was a short one - nearly four hours and he was off the bus and into the U.S. Air Force.
Airman 1st Class Danallen Lee, 341st Security Forces Squadron member, spent the first six months of his Air Force career at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, to complete his BMT as well as four months of technical school. It wasn't until Jan. 9, 2014, that he left Texas to begin his Air Force career at Malmstrom Air Force Base - a trip that left him in the dark.
"I didn't know what to expect, because the last time I traveled, [I went to BMT and] got off a van and this guy was so mean," Lee said. "I've never been treated like that in my life. I was always a good kid - respectful and everything, but he was just so mean for no reason. I don't know if I was expecting that or something like it when I got here to Malmstrom, but I think I had my guard up a lot looking for things to do right."
Upon arriving to Malmstrom, Lee was told he would hold a security position working at Malmstrom's weapons storage area - a job that requires endless responsibility and constant vigilance.
"The amount of responsibility is huge because of what we do and the fact that we're also carrying a weapon," he said. "Everything we do is to protect everybody - not just myself or Montana, but the whole nation."
Lee's day starts at 4:15 a.m. when his cellphone's default alarm goes off. A simple button turns off the alarm and soon he's in the middle of his morning routine - donning his uniform and packing his lunch and snacks, all while leaving enough time to start his car in below-zero temperatures.
Lee arrives at the armory at 5 a.m. sharp, marking the start of a nine-hour day, the first hour of which is filled with preparations for his shift at the weapons storage area.
"I go into the armory and arm up with whatever weapon I'm going to have for the day," Lee said. "There's a roster that comes out the day before that will tell me which post I'm going to be at and what weapon I'll be carrying. Once I get my weapon, I go into the Guardmount room and wait for Guardmount to start."
Airmen stand in formation and are required to wear their approximately 30-pound flak vest - which contains all ammunition - as well as their weapon (if not assigned to heavy artillery), radio and beret for Guardmount.
Guardmount is a group briefing for all security forces personnel before beginning their shift. It begins with roll call, during which each Airman responds with the flight they're assigned to. Following roll call, the Airmen are briefed on Personnel Reliability Program responsibilities, weather conditions, safety and a chosen career topic.
Following Guardmount, Lee gathers his equipment and heads outside to load the vehicles heading to the WSA. Once he gets to the WSA, he's required to in-process.
"When we first get to the WSA we unload the trucks," Lee said. "Then we go through two gates one by one. After that, we go into the building, scan our IDs into a machine, put in a pin number and do a hand bio - a hand scanner. If all of those things match, we get access. It takes a while for each person to process in."
After processing into the WSA, Lee and his teammates do a changeover with the individuals they're replacing, which consists of making sure everything works properly - the gear and the Humvee. If everything checks out good, Lee and his teammates relieve the individuals for the day and begin their shift. During their shifts, they may drive the Humvee around their section patrolling the area, stay in one spot and patrol visually, respond to an alarm or participate in an exercise.
Although Lee's shift is a basic eight-hour shift, normally ending at 2 p.m., he's heard of shifts that have lasted upwards of 12 hours - during which, each member is required to maintain their positions.
"I've heard of ... people having to stay until 7 p.m. - so they worked from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. out there," he said. "I've never had to do it. When that happens, you have to stay in certain positions. So if you're a heavy gunner and the weapon is mounted to the top of the Humvee, you have to stay there and if it's really cold or raining, you're just getting cold or wet the whole time."
At the end of his shift, Lee then out-processes from the WSA and heads back to the armory to turn in his weapon and ammunition before heading home for the day. He'll spend four days in that routine, then he'll have three days off and a training day before starting the process over.
Handling a live weapon comes with an amazing amount of responsibility. But Airmen like Lee, who work day-in and day-out to help protect the assets of the United States' nuclear arsenal, are entrusted with even more responsibility straight out of technical school than other security forces Airmen- something that many, including Lee, may consider to be nerve racking.
While Lee accepted the responsibilities given to him with open arms, the one thing he considers to be the hardest part of his job would be failure.
"The hardest part of my job would be failing," he said. "We never want something bad to happen to someone - it's hard to see a teammate fail."
In his off-duty time, Lee studies his career development courses or qualification certifications, volunteers in the community, works out and enjoys hanging out with his friends or playing basketball. Between duty, training, education, physical fitness, volunteering and leisure activities, time management can get a little hectic.
"I have this little notebook in my pocket that I usually write everything down in," he admitted. "I'm afraid I'll forget something and then I'll feel really stupid when I'm like 'oh man, I was supposed to do that and I didn't.' So I usually write everything down."
Following his end-of-course test for his CDCs, Lee plans to start college classes in hopes of receiving a Community College of the Air Force degree in criminal justice. Although he hasn't made up his mind, if he stays in the Air Force, his goal is to one day become a chief master sergeant. His other goals include volunteering more in the community and possibly transitioning to a position as a K-9 handler or agent for the Office of Special Investigations, but he has one overall goal for the rest of his life.
"My main goal is just to become a better man every day," Lee said. "I can reach that by sticking to what I know because I know what's wrong and what's right."