Photo By Staff Sgt. Larry Barnhill | Airmen from the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron perform their pre-flight duties...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas – Service members that have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan have seen the A-10 Thunderbolt fly into action to take out targets, but may have never had a chance to see one up close.
The select few service members that do get to see A-10s up close are the pilots and the Airmen that make up their crews.
Airmen from the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMS) out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, came to Fort Bliss in support of joint training exercise Operation Hustler Trough Nov. 3-7, 2014.
In addition to the 757th AMS, Operation Hustler Trough involved units from 1st Armored Division Artillery (DIVARTY), 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), 7th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) and pilots from the 66th Weapons Squadron conducting live-fire training exercises to integrate and synchronize air and ground assets in a joint training environment.
Airmen like Staff Sgt. Michael Ward, a crew-chief, 757th AMXS, and his crew get to work with A-10s regularly.
“I’ve worked with A-10s for nine years now. I saw one when I was 6 (years old) at the Air Force museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio and fell in love. When I decided to join, I knew I wanted to work with A-10s,” said Ward. “Our bread and butter is forward air control and close air support, getting in low and slow, dropping munitions and supporting the guys on the ground.”
Senior Airman Chris Colyer, an electrical environmental systems technician, and Airman 1st Class Brandon Wiltz, an A-10 crew chief, also both share a passion for working with the A-10.
“I’m just proud to be here and proud to work on this aircraft because not everybody gets this opportunity,” said Colyer.
“It’s an honor to be a crew chief on an A-10 before it’s retired,” said Wiltz.
There are many parts that have to be in proper working condition in order for A-10s to successfully complete missions, thus, the crewmen are an intricate part of that success.
“I maintain the environmental systems, such as bleed air and service air, getting a problem fixed on a jet and seeing it fly without any problems,” said Colyer. “Maintaining the bleed air is pretty important because it runs the air conditioning, heating and all the air they [the planes] need for their systems. Without bleed air, they wouldn’t be able to complete their missions.”
“I maintain the aircraft and make sure it is capable of flying. We mostly deal with the hydraulics,” said Wiltz.
In all branches of the military, the success or failure of a mission is directly tied to the readiness of a unit, whether that is personnel or maintenance. If the aircraft aren’t properly maintained and ready, the pilots cannot perform their mission.
First Lt. Ishmael Macedo, a 57th Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge, is responsible for the maintenance services provided by the 57th AMU.
“I oversee everything that goes on in the unit, aircraft status, making sure they’re getting fixed in a timely manner, providing safe reliable maintenance to support the 66th Weapons Squadron and the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron,” said Macedo. “I commend my guys for getting the job done, day in and day out.”
Throughout the military, teamwork has always been a key factor in mission success whether it is through units comprised of service members with a variety of specialties and essential duties or joint missions involving personnel from different service branches such as Operation Hustler Trough.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2014 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 147385 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | FRESNO, CA, US |
| Hometown: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Hometown: | LONE GROVE, OK, US |
| Hometown: | NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 606 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, The wind beneath their wings, by SSG Larry Barnhill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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