SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Members of the 606th Air Control Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom July 2013.

When they departed, Airman 1st Class Alex Lollar, a radio frequencies transmissions systems technician from Pensacola, Fla., stayed behind to hold down the fort.

Lollar, who was promoted to senior airman in September, continued to support his deployed brethren from Spangdahlem Air Base by working to provide quality radios to meet mission requirements. He also helped train three new Airmen who were unfamiliar with normal operations.

"I learned a lot more in the last six months than I did in tech school," said Lollar. "The deployment caused shops to come together and work more closely."

Because of the lack of people from the deployment, Lollar was forced to come up with new innovative processes to achieve mission success. The radios he worked with provide battle managers the capability of notifying pilots of their location and the locations of enemy aircraft.

In addition to maintaining radios, Lollar also picked up additional responsibilities that were inspected during a recent Unit Effectiveness Inspection. He became a bench stock monitor, making sure certain equipment items were stocked and accounted for on-sight maintenance.

In addition, he became the maintenance production control monitor ensuring the unit was ready for inspections and all maintenance was conducted on or ahead of schedule. Also, he inspected equipment for usability, and any faulty equipment was replaced by ordering new parts through suppliers keeping the unit's equipment mission ready at all times.

"I think that when they come back they will be happy with the way we've been running things," said Lollar.