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As a Public Affairs specialist, I’ve had the opportunity to see so much of what the U.S. Air Force brings to the table. It’s our job to document the mission and cover it at many different levels. We are typically there to record the action without interference.
This time was different because a tour was organized for Airmen who work in mission support roles across Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to answer any questions we had, and give us a hands-on experience with the operations of the 703rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
The tour was part of a new program called Operation Mission Connect, with a goal of showing Airmen in support roles, like myself, the mission from a different angle.
I live and work on base, and it’s very common to see and hear aircraft taxi, take off, and land. It’s easy to lose sight of all the moving pieces it takes to get an aircraft off the ground, as well as the reason they’re flying. The maintainers, pilots, loadmasters and other aircrew are essential to making the mission of the U.S. Air Force happen.
We started off the tour with a mission brief that outlined the squadron's size, mission, and priorities. The 517th Aircraft Maintenance Unit is responsible for the upkeep of eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs, which have flown 926 sorties this year alone. It is also the Air Force’s most utilized C-17 unit. In fact, some of the aircraft were used in the airlift that took place in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August of this year.
Following the mission brief, we were given a tour of the C-17 and got to see the plane in its entirety. It was the first time that I’d seen one in a hangar and it is massive! Many of the Airmen on the tour had never seen the aircraft that close.
Right after the 517th AMU, we headed over to the 962nd AMU for a mission brief. Airmen within this unit maintain the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, which we had the opportunity to tour after the briefing. The crew was very welcoming and answered all the questions we had about the aircraft and its unique rotating radar dome.
After we stepped off the aircraft, we spoke to crew chiefs who maintain the plane. They showed us the engine, tires and other pieces that make up the aircraft and I could tell they truly take pride in the work that they do.
Overall I enjoyed the tour of the units and was happy to hear that Senior Master Sgt. Ray Chamberlain, the 703rd AMXS assistant superintendent, who briefed us at the 517th AMU, is hoping to implement the Operation Mission Connect program across the installation within a number of different career fields.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2021 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 412279 |
| Location: | ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Operation Mission Connect: A peek behind the curtain, by SrA Andrew Britten, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
