ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- In September 2013, Anthony Magliulo enlisted in the Air Force, searching for direction and purpose for his life.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life or didn’t know what I was good at,” he said. “The Air Force gave me structure and goals.”
Now, Staff Sgt. Magliulo, a power production technician in the 53rd Air Traffic Control Squadron Civil Engineering Support Section at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, knows his purpose, when it comes to the Air Force mission anyway.
He now holds the power of the Air Force mission in his hands.
“We support Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resource bases, overseas and stateside airfields with equipment to help aircraft land, take off and communicate with ground control,” he said. “Without us, when fixed base systems break, it makes it more difficult to land planes just using instruments on the aircraft.”
The 53rd ATCS is part of the 461st Air Control Wing at Robins, which is, in part, responsible for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System mission.
The 33-year-old who was born and reared in New York knows the job he performs with JSTARS aircraft in Georgia, reaches locations around the globe.
“My job is a cog in the bigger machine that is my squadron’s mission,” he said. “Without generator power, we have no power to operate equipment at many of the overseas bases and airfields. No power means no equipment to help the aircraft take off, land or communicate with ground control.”
Magliulo, who has been in his current role for about two and a half years, takes pride in the gravity of his role in the Air Force mission.
“Power production is very important,” he said. “We either provide prime power or backup power to critical facilities or equipment to keep the mission going. We also help fighter jets land safely if they have an in-flight emergency by catching aircraft using a strong steel cable, breaking system and hydraulic system. In this unit, we specifically help aircraft fly, land, and communicate.”
Though it has taken Magliulo some time to find his purpose in life and with the Air Force mission, he offered different advice to other Airmen.
“Everyone has different goals and dreams in life,” he said. “So find out what yours are and do what you have to do to reach them.”
Editor’s note: Leader, Innovative, Balanced, Empowered, Ready, Adaptable, Inclusive, Disciplined, Empathetic, and Relentless – These collective traits are at the core of each Liberaider in the 461st Air Control Wing. The Liberaider Spotlight is a series featuring Airmen within the 461st ACW who exhibit these characteristics in their excellent work and dedication toward the mission of wing, the Air Force and the Department of the Defense.