Photo By Tech. Sgt. Warren Spearman | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Hannah Shackleford, an Air Transportation Specialist with...... read more read more
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BEJA AIR BASE, Portugal – The first ever all-female air transportation team is running air operations for logistics during exercise Real Thaw ‘22. This is a first for the U.S. Air Force.
Staff Sgt. Audrey Johnson, 72nd Logistics Readiness Squadron air transportation specialist, at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Senior Airman Michelle Brewer, 52nd LRS air transportation specialist, from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany and Senior Airman Hannah Shackleford, 52nd LRS air transportation specialist, also from Spangdahlem are the historic trio handling the massive airlift.
“It happened by coincidence,” said Master Sgt. Mark Majack, 52nd LRS Cargo Movement section chief and one of the Mission Support Group project officers at Real Thaw. “We were putting together the team and we saw that we had an all-female team, and that’s never happened before.”
Staff Sgt. Johnson, who has been at Spangdahlem since May, was handpicked to come support Spangdahlem mission operations by her leadership at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and has enjoyed the chance to lead the unloading of air cargo.
“It’s been really fun,” said Johnson. “My team members are awesome and have been crushing it.”
Sgt. Johnson and her team have helped to process and unload the cargo from six C-130 Hercules’ aircraft over four days.
“It’s my first time leading an air cargo unloading this big,” said Johnson. “It’s exciting, and I’d never thought I would be a part of something in such a male dominated career field.”
Despite these challenges, inherent with any exercise on this scale, and the history they were making, the team just saw it as another day at the office.
“It’s another job,” said Shackleford, “Same thing, different place, different crew.”
Despite the feelings of it being “another day at the office,” the importance of what they are accomplishing is not lost.
“Personally, I think it’s important for us to have the opportunity to showcase our skills,” said Johnson. “We are a minority in our career field and this gives us the chance to prove we are just as able to get in and get the job done.”
Their leadership has been impressed by their efforts during exercise Real Thaw, and could not be more proud.
“These women have done a remarkable job,” said Majack. “They will always continue to impress us and others with their capabilities and drive. I had a blast seeing them get at it and make this fighter training detachment possible.”
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2022 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 423923 |
| Location: | BEJA, PT |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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