Alicia Faires on why she serves

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (June 1, 2022) Alicia Faires, is a White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) Meteorologist and has been on post for almost four years providing weather forecasting for the range. Most recently, she provided forecasting for the successful NASA Starliner landing at White Sands Space Harbor. Prior to arriving at WSMR, she received her bachelor’s in Meteorology from the University of Northern Colorado and afterwards, enlisted in the Navy where she served as an Aerographer's Mate, forecasting for P-3 Orion aircrafts in Misawa, Japan. After her service in the Navy, she returned to college where she received two additional bachelor’s degrees, one in Applied Mathematics and one in East Asian Studies from Western Washington University.

Upon graduating she arrived at WSMR where she has been able to apply her broad meteorology background to work on missions, prepare the range for large events, and warn the WSMR community of dangerous weather that may impede their work or commutes to and from the post.

When asked why she serves, she said, “Both of my grandpas were in the Military, one served in the Navy, one served in the Army Signal Corps. Coming to White Sands Missile Range just made sense as an extension of my service, and meteorology is very important for the range’s safety.” In addition to her responsibilities, she enjoys working with Range Control, seeing tests successfully executed, traveling for work, and looks forward to monsoon season as she loves observing thunderstorms.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, knitting, crocheting, sewing, playing guitar, and gaming.