Security Forces: Ever Vigilant Published April 20, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Timothy Lombardi 341st Security Support Squadron MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- In a field somewhere in the middle of a distant land, there is a fighter training hard and long, with his only goal to destroy everything you have worked so hard to build. At a base perimeter, with only himself and his fellow defender, stands a security forces member. He stands as a sentry, in a place where most dare not go. He will not give in and run, he does not falter or fail. The defender remains ever vigilant throughout the night. Like an eagle that seeks out his prey, he seeks out any threat that may lurk in the darkness. Such watchfulness is far more than just looking carelessly and nonchalantly at the terrain laid out before him; it is the active, intense alertness and awareness of the defender that sets him apart. The vigilance of the defender does not permit him to settle for a quick, simple cursory look. Rather, it pushes the defender to investigate every minute change - every detail - no matter how miniscule, of his environment. The excellent quality of this vigilance is without question. Thus, the most basic requirements of his mission are far surpassed. The defender will not allow any threat to approach unnoticed on his watch. Across the vastness of our small world - in a field somewhere in the middle of Montana - stands a security forces member, surrounding a perimeter fence of a launch facility. He patiently stands guard while maintenance is conducted on the most lethal weapon man has ever known. He did not ask to be stationed here; and he may not have ever known of its existence. Yet, he does not falter or fail. He knows every valley and knoll in the missile complex; and just like his fellow defender half way across the world; he stands perched and ready to strike. Though he has never witnessed an enemy that posed a threat to his launch facility, he awaits, prepared and steadfast for the moment that may never come. Whether placed in the furnace of the desert sands or in the frigid plains of frozen tundra, they stand watch. When others back down, they stand up. When others run for safety, they run forward to engage. The security forces Airmen are the defenders we all trust, for every day and every night they remain ever vigilant.