Photo By Tech. Sgt. Nick Wilson | Airman 1st Class Justin Sutherland, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons loader,...... read more read more
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WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - One way Air Force Global Strike Command shows the value of superior technical and weapons system expertise is through quarterly weapons load competitions.
Airmen from Whiteman’s 13th and 393rd Aircraft Maintenance Units competed in the first-quarter Load Crew of the Quarter competition, April 12, 2013, to showcase teamwork, precision and attention to detail among airmen in support of nuclear deterrence and global strike operations.
“It provides a friendly rivalry between not only our crews in each AMU, but also between the two AMUs,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Phillips, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons loader. “It also provides us an opportunity to show efficiency, skill and our level of excellence as load crew members.”
The competition showed how each team meshed together like puzzle pieces to ensure weapons were loaded in a timely manner. The 393rd AMU won the day’s competition.
“My team recently formed at the end of last year, and our relationship has grown over the last few months,” said Staff Sgt. James Buslon-Hernandez, 393rd AMU team chief. “Winning the competition proves just how well we work together.”
In addition to fostering and highlighting teamwork, the competition also provided an opportunity for younger airmen to see more experienced loaders in action, said Phillips.
“It showed some of the younger airmen, especially the ones who maybe are not certified to do the job yet, where they should set their standards,” Phillips said. “They come out here, they watch us, they watch the load and I think it [makes] a good impression on them. It also gives them some motivation to boost themselves above their peers.”
The loaders who competed were evaluated in a multitude of areas including timeliness, reliability, safety, order errors, a 25-question written test and a composite tool kit inspection.
“Reliability is an important part of any weapon load,” said Master Sgt. Mikel Petersen, 509th Maintenance Operations Squadron loading standardization crew team chief. “If the weapon isn’t reliable, then the pilot won't be able to kill the enemy.”
Safety was an especially big deal for team chiefs. Not only did they have to ensure the munitions were efficiently loaded onto the aircraft, but they also had to supervise their team to ensure weapons loaders followed safety protocols.
“Our goal is to give the pilot a weapon that destroys the enemy,” Petersen said. “In order to do this effectively, the crews must load weapons by following technical data and completing each task safely.”
Maintaining this level of safety requires a great degree of skill on the part of weapons loaders.
“It can get difficult when you are focused on a task requiring your full attention, while trying to keep an eye on everyone else’s safety in the immediate area,” Buslon-Hernandez said.
The evaluators also judged airmen on dress and appearance.
“We were quite strict when it came to AFI 36-2903,” Petersen said. “Some write-ups were for matters as simple as strings hanging off of an airman’s rank insignia.”
Attention to detail is also paramount when loading explosives onto a multi-billion dollar stealth bomber, Buslon-Hernandez said.
“Any mistakes made in a real-world, high-explosive operation involving gas-operated, heavy-lifting equipment can negatively impact the mission, or put lives in danger,” Buslon-Hernandez said.
Along with measuring attention to detail, the evaluators ensured both crews completed the loads within a 50-minute time limit.
Since both crews consisted of individuals that were handpicked and experienced, working within the time standards was not an issue, said Buslon-Hernandez.
“Along with experience comes speed,” Buslon-Hernandez said. “In a competition, you naturally want to perform at your best, so it was important to throttle back and perform efficiently.”
Airmen in the competition held ranks from airman first class to technical sergeant.
“When younger guys are teamed up with the best to compete in a load comp, there is a noticeable difference in performance,” Buslon-Hernandez said. “Sharing that experience with them will help groom newer airmen for success.”
Overall, win or lose, the rewarding part of being a weapons loader is providing the business end of the mission to the enemy’s back door, Buslon-Hernandez said.
It all comes down to demonstrating readiness to those who will be in the position to make key command decisions later down the road.
“The competition allows us to show our skill to our leadership so they have confidence in us to do our job,” Phillips said. “If it comes down to the wire and we need to put bombs on target, they know that they can count on us to do it.”
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2013 19:06 |
| Story ID: | 105515 |
| Location: | WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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