Photo By Master Sgt. John Nimmo, Sr. | HGU-84/P flight helmets rest on flight equipment racks during Integrated Training...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – As the Marines of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 pass through the flight equipment section, there is an unspoken word of trust that passes between the aircrew and the technicians at Integrated Training Exercise 2-16 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Jan. 24, 2016.
Throughout a military career, you will constantly hear about the importance of paying attention to detail. One career field that takes that seriously is the flight equipment technician; those that are charged with the maintenance, inspection and preparation of survival gear for their aircrews.
“We provide all the safety gear that’s going to protect them in flight,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Rushford, flight equipment technician with HMLA-369. “... or maybe save them in a forward area when everything is on the line and all they have is what they brought with them.”
The intangible piece, the piece that has no technical order, is trust. Trusting that your survival gear will work as needed, when needed.
“We have to make sure it’s quality gear and it’s inspected to specifications,” said Cpl. Shannon Lee, flight equipment technician with HMLA-369.
“There’s a big trust there. There’s a huge trust,” Rushford added.
Often times, it’s the extra things you come across or that you can do that make the difference in someone’s day.
“It’s cold here,” Rushford said, “and when you’re in the air with the doors open, it’s freezing in that wind tunnel up there.”
Job satisfaction can come in many different ways.
“Whenever we give them cold weather gear,” Lee said, “and you just see them kind of light up, it’s almost like Christmas.”
“It’s nice to have an MOS where you can do that sort of thing,” Rushford added. “It’s rewarding when you can give them something they weren’t expecting.”
Aside from the occasional surprise they are able to share with the aircrews, there is a confidence to be had in knowing that the gear the pilots and crew members receive is going to operate properly should the need arise.
“In a way, we hope we’re taking the stress off them and they can trust in the gear we’ve provided them should something happen,” Rushford said. “Because when you go flying, there are just so many other question marks, there is always the 'what ifs.' But at the end of the day, if they have confidence in us and in our gear, then the 'what ifs' don't really matter, so they can just do their job.”
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2016 11:55 |
| Story ID: | 188830 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Life support, more than a lifeline at ITX 2-16, by MSgt John Nimmo, Sr., identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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