103d LRS Supplies Readiness

Photo By Senior Airman Sadie Hewes | Staff Sgt. Rhoda Alfred, customer service representative assigned to the 103rd Logistics Readiness Squadron takes inventory of Operation Combat Uniforms March 1, 2020 in the Supply Warehouse at Bradley Air National Guard Base, East Granby, Conn. The supply component of the 103rd LRS is broken down into three sections: clothing mobility, the warehouse, and the Mission Support Liaison. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Sadie Hewes)  

CT, UNITED STATES

03.01.2020

Story by Senior Airman Sadie Hewes 

103rd Airlift Wing, Bradley Air National Guard Base

From pens and pencils, to uniforms and chemical gear, to any part found on a C-130 Hercules, the 103rd Logistics Readiness Squadron’s base supply component provides everything Bradley needs to get the job done. Base supply is broken down into three main sections: clothing mobility, the warehouse, and the Maintenance Support Liaison (MSO). Each section interacts and collaborates to keep Bradley’s vehicles, aircraft and Airmen mission capable and ready. Supply Airmen work behind-the-scenes to make sure that if you need it, they have it; there’s much more to this career field than what most would expect.
Clothing Mobility
The clothing mobility section of the 103d LRS provides uniforms, Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear, weapons and equipment.
“In clothing mobility, there are four parts,” said Staff Sgt. Rhonda Alfred, 103rd Logistics Readiness Squadron customer service representative. “We have clothing, mobility gear, [60-day replenishment kits for all key aircraft parts] and weapons.”
Alfred is a traditional Guardsman, and her day-to-day functions include working in the customer service section helping people coming in to pick up their orders. Alfred enjoys receiving a task and seeing it through from beginning to end and her job benefits her co-workers around the base.
“If we have a task where we need to build chem bags for the Security Forces Squadron, we receive the order, pack 100 bags for them, making sure all the gas masks are functioning and send it out to them,” Alfred explained. “I like knowing the task is finished and done well.”

Warehouse
One of the largest components of base supply is the vast warehouse, described as Bradley’s personal Amazon. This is where anything needed to get the job done around base is stored. Shelves are stacked high with boxes full of everything from uniforms to aircraft parts - and the Airmen working the warehouse are responsible for the inventory and organization of all of these moving parts.
Technical Sgt. Joshua Fasser, 103d Airlift Wing Material Management Craftsman, is a full-time employee of the 103d Airlift Wing, but works in the Warehouse exclusively on drill weekends.
“The main duties for the material management flight, especially Storage and Issue, which is the warehouse, range from receiving and storing product, inventory, and at the end, issuing the product to the customer,” Fasser said.
Fasser explained that the warehouse has different levels of priorities that help organize their orders. If they have an aircraft part in stock, they have 30 minutes to pull the part from the warehouse and deliver it to the flight line. If a part is not available on base, the order would be considered a Mission Impaired Capability Awaiting Parts (MICAP). This is where the warehouse would interact with the Mission Support Liaison (MSO).
MSO
MSO and the warehouse work very closely to ensure orders are received, processed and delivered in a timely manner. In MSO, Airmen do “everything that revolves around the Aircraft,” according to Senior Airman Megan Murray, 103d LRS customer service representative.”
“We order mission-capability parts that need to be at the Aircraft as soon as possible,” said Murray. “Anything from communication devices to bolts and crews are ordered, inspected, and delivered through us. We order calendars, parachutes needed for life-support, pretty much everything that revolves around the Aircraft.”
Murray says she often finds herself under a deadline, because her job is crucial to keep the aircraft flying. Her priority is focusing on how fast she can get parts to the maintainers to keep flights on schedule and the Aircraft wheels-up.
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Although Fasser, Murray and Alfred all work in different sections of supply, they all agreed that one of the most rewarding parts of their jobs was the chance to meet and interact with the whole base.
“As equipment manager, I’m responsible for equipment not just here at the wing but also at the 103rd Air Control Squadron, and there’s 64 accounts, 120 custodians, thousands of pieces of equipment, so one of the best parts of my job is that I get to interact on a day-to-day basis with pretty much all the organizations,” said Fasser.
Murray added, “I enjoy growing relationships with people, solving problems and having customers be so thankful you helped them out to get their jobs done. It’s a very satisfying feeling. I like going the extra step to help people.”
The next time someone orders a part, puts in a winter clothing request, or picks up their MOPP gear, it is important to keep in mind all of the hard behind-the-scenes work 103rd LRS Airmen put into keeping their fellow service members ready for the fight.

• Date Taken: 03.01.2020
• Date Posted: 03.08.2020 13:52
• Story ID: 364729
• Location: CT, US