From The Vets' Museum

Meet MSgt Eric M. Hertzig

by Sandra Thompson, Director, Alabama Veterans’ Museum

MSgt Hertzig was born in Wallace, Idaho, in 1960 and grew up in Brigham City, Utah. While going to school during the Cold War, Eric had a different per spective of the military and war because many of his teachers were pri or military. “My junior high and high school teachers were all World War II, Korea, and Viet nam veterans. These people instilled a sense of service along with a desire to take a stand against totalitarianism, in some capacity, as a duty to the community I was growing up in.” At age 19, he found himself in a series of dead-end jobs; feeling rebellious he was ready to get out on his own. He decided to join the Air Force in March 1979. “I walked into the recruitment offices and asked who could get me into basic train ing the quickest. Every recruiter except one told me I could join but there was a waiting pe riod of 30 - 180 days for a training slot. The Air Force recruiter said he could get me a train ing slot in less than 30 days if I entered service in an open general po sition. I chose to do so; and the Air Force re cruiter was able to process my enlistment, and I entered basic training 6 days later.” About a week into basic train ing, he was told it was time for him to decide what career field he would like to enter. He was offered 6 different

jobs, but only one of fered an immediate opportunity to work overseas. He chose to join the Security Police ca reer field as a Security Specialist as opposed to a Law Enforcement Spe cialist. He completed basic training and technical school at Lackland AFB and then went to Camp Bullis to complete Air Base Ground Defense (ABGD) training. Eric’s first duty station was at Davis Monthan, AFB in Arizona, where he supported the Ti tan missile operations. While there he also re ceived a nuclear security identifier, so with an ABDG identifier he was also assigned to the mobility cell to support contingency operations. Eighteen months later he was reassigned to Osan AB, Republic of Korea (ROK). While there he participated in an ex change program with the Korean Army, serv ing as liaison between US and Korean Forces; this lasted for a year. He would serve 2 more 1-year tours in Korea, one year at Kunsan Air Base, where he worked with the Korean Coast al Defense Battalion. Upon returning to the US, he was assigned to Strategic Air Com mand serving at Plattsburgh AFB, NY; Ellsworth AFB, SD; and Malmstrom AFB, MT. During his 23-year ca reer, he was also assigned to Sembach AFB, Germany, for a 4-year tour; Muscat, Oman, for 13 months; and Oran jestad, Aruba, for 9 months. “Along with too many deployments to detail, suffice it to say, I deployed to near ly every hot spot in the world during my career spending more time with Army and Marine infan try than with Air Force Security Police.” Some of Eric’s most memorable moments in his career include be ing deployed to Egypt to secure a dirt airstrip

in the middle of the des ert. “Duty was miserable, rumors were rampant, and everyone was on edge. I lived in a hole manning a machinegun. One night, illumination flares started going off. There was something in the wire, and about 10 minutes after the flares started going off, I re ceived orders to fire on our FPL. I fired about 2 belts when the cease fire order was given. In the morning, I found out I had been firing on a pack of jackals!” Eric was also deployed

to Sarejvo as a patrol leader. “The patrol was heading back to base when we happened upon two Air Force members taking pictures near a minefield marker. I halted the patrol and approached them asking them if they knew they were in a minefield. They assured me they knew of the minefield. When I asked them if they were aware they were on the wrong side of the marker and in the actual minefield, they both nearly passed out. I called EOD, and everyone got home in one piece!” Eric was ready to re tire in 2001; unfortunately, 9/11 happened. He got caught in what the military calls “stop loss’ where no one can retire or separate from the military. Finally in 2002, he was able to retire. After retirement he moved to St. Louis, MO, where he says “I was Mr. Mom for about 6 months until I completed all the selfhelp projects around the house, after which I worked as a security supervisor for a year or so. Finally, I started working for the Mis sile Defense Agency in the security department assisting in security system design.” Eric currently resides in Elkmont, with his son Andrew. He also has a son Elden; a daughterin-law, Misty; and a daughter Erin. He has one grandchild named Darien.