A1C Points' dangerous choice pays off

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kaleb Snay
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Early on in life, a career choice can be a difficult decision to make. Picking a career can make or break future life goals. What's a future Airman to do?

Spending his days in the equipment section, Airman 1st Class Brent Points, inspects, cleans and repairs things from simple tools to advanced robotics, ensuring that items are serviceable. It's a humble job to set his shop up for success. If the tools they're using are not serviceable then their mission could be at risk.

At first glance, Points' job may seem simple and possibly mundane but when the situation arises, life for Airman Points can become very dangerous and exciting.

"We get to blow stuff up!" said Airman 1st Class Brent Points, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal apprentice. "It's up to us to neutralize things like Improvised Explosive Devices, Bomb Dummy Units and other explosive hazards. Sometimes in order to accomplish that goal we just have to turn them to dust via C4."

Although Points' job is equipment maintenance, as an EOD Airman, his responsibilities measure beyond that.

"Our ultimate job is the protection of personnel and property through explosive disposal," said Points. "Our job ranges from dealing with aircraft to suspicious packages at the post office. Just knowing that I took part in making a terrible situation safe is a big highlight of my job. Maybe an explosive from WWII washes up on shore. We would have to take it to our disposal range and blow it up in a controlled environment."

Some people may look for a job based on pay and benefits, but Points knew the moment he learned about Explosive Ordnance Disposal from his recruiter that there was no other job for him.

"Before I joined the Air Force, I was looking into several special operations and high risk jobs like Pararescue," said Points. "One day I came across EOD and I loved it! I knew that's what I wanted to do from then on."

Points told his recruiter that he didn't care how long it would take, he wanted to be an EOD Airman. His wish was soon granted as he was sent to Air Force Basic Military Training and then technical school for EOD training.

"Our tech school is eight months long and tough. It's certainly not for the faint of heart," said Points. "The rigorous training we go through is both physically and mentally draining. We were constantly getting new things thrown our way and we had to think fast on our feet."

Although rigorous, Points made it through with flying colors, but he was quick to state that he couldn't have done it alone. It was in fact the support of his family and then fiancé', now wife, that kept him going strong.

"When he first told me that's what he wanted to do I was nervous and a bit speechless," said Mackenzie Points, spouse of Airman 1st Class Brent Points. "I didn't want to worry because worrying would just make it unbearable. I thought to myself, God will be taking care of him, he can get through it. Brent is good at what he does and I knew he would excel at this as well."

After graduating technical school, Points and Mackenzie took their vows in front of about 300 people on 20 Oct, 2012.
"My wife inspires me. She can be one tough cookie," said Brent Points. "She wasn't the most excited person knowing that her husband could be blown up just by going to work, but she's very confident in me. I never want to let her down."

With his wife at his side and his new career in hand, he was stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan where he would begin to discover his full potential as an EOD Airman.

Putting others before himself, Points was quickly seen as the "go-to guy" of the EOD shop. After less than a year Points exceeded the expectations that were given to him by his superiors and has even been awarded Senior Airman Below the Zone, which promotes him to Senior Airman six months ahead of schedule.

"He's doing good," said Staff Sgt. Anthony Walling, 35 CES NCO in charge of EOD supply section. "He's always motivated to take every opportunity he can to learn, always willing to jump through hoops to help someone in the shop. He's one of the most ambitious people I've seen coming straight from tech school."

Points was amazed that he got BTZ and couldn't help but feel like a valued member of the EOD team here. He didn't feel right accepting it without first thanking his EOD family for all the help he has received.

"Learning from my superiors that have had years of experience has really helped hone my skills these past months," said Points. "We're constantly training so we are always prepared. We have to think on our feet quite often. A curveball could come at any time."

Points spoke often about the dangers involved with his job and how safety is of the highest concern for EOD. They have several tools in hand to keep personnel safe. Out of the all the tools the EOD team has at its disposal, Points favors one in particular, a robot...

"We have a motto, 'Initial success or total failure', meaning if we don't do things right the first time, things could end badly," he said. "We don't always know what we may come in contact with. Which is why tools like robots are so amazing. If something does happen, the robot will take the hit instead of us. It's always better to be safe than sorry. You can fix a robot, but you can't put a person back together."

The days may be long and the training can be rough and the job certainly has its pressures, but at the end of the day he knows one thing for sure.

"The rewards of my job definitely outweigh the difficulty," said Points. "I think it's so amazing to make a dangerous environment safe again, and if I can save someone's life, that's huge. I can't imagine a better reward. I'm happy that I chose EOD."