Photo By Paul Mann | Mr. Mark Chandler, Fleet Management and Analysis Manager, 117th Logistics Readiness...... read more read more
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Do you ever stop to think about what it takes to keep a base moving, what keeps an organization’s wheels turning, or who is responsible for making sure the 93 vehicles on the 117th Air Refueling Wing’s inventory keep running? If you have thought about this then you need to meet this month’s Excellent Airman, Mr. Mark Chandler.
“He never stops working!” replied Lt. Col. Scott Vandenberghe, commander of the 117th Logistics Readiness Squadron when asked why he selected Mark as this month’s excellent Airman. “[He] takes his computer with him everywhere he goes, works on VM maintenance paperwork, GPC items, updating Vehicle Maintenance MS Teams status, etc. so the mechanics in the shop have the absolute latest info to start their work day.”
Mark is the Fleet Management and Analysis point of contact for the 117th Logistics Readiness Squadron and is responsible for overseeing a vehicle inventory valued at more than $16 million, encompassing everything from a forklift to an aircraft deicer.
“We bring it [the deicer] up here every summer for a rebuild and go through everything,” said Chandler. The deicer is only used two or three times each year, depending on how cold of a winter Birmingham is experiencing, but it is an essential element of the wing’s alert mission.
Chandler also tracks parts, mileage, fuel consumption, hours of usage, labor time, and the routine maintenance of a fleet that does everything from moving aircraft inside hangars to transporting personnel across Alabama.
“That’s how we get sustainment costs to get the vehicles replaced and repaired,” said Chandler, “I analyze what we’re putting into each vehicle and how much money we’re spending…it’s the biggest part of my job.”
Enlisting in the U.S. Army more than three decades years ago, Mark retired after 32 years of service, 22 of them with the Army National Guard, the last seven here at Sumpter Smith JNGB as a member of the 1-114th Aviation Regiment. In 2022 Mark moved up the hill to work for the 117th as a Title 5 civilian technician.
Vandenberghe was mostly correct about Mark’s work ethic, however, Mark does make an exception for work – Mardi Gras! A native of Mobile, Ala., Mark grew up in the birthplace of the Mardi Gras and has fond memories of attending parades with his family. “My dad would get home at 5:15, by 5:45 we were in the car, all of us, headed downtown every night…we never missed a parade!”
Fast forward to 2005 when Mark joined the Crewe of Columbus, an active mystic society that’s been in Mobile for more than 100 years, celebrating the Mobile community and its Mardi Gras grass roots. “I just got involved in it, and a lot of my family was involved in it, so I wanted to join, and once I got in, started riding, II just loved it!”
Anthony Tanner, 117 LRS Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic Supervisor, sees Mark’s level professionalism and passion for doing something whole-heartedly. "We're within less than 1% of data accuracy against what we're tracking locally versus what's reflected in the reportable system, which is the best in vehicle management across the Air Guard...that’s a testament to what Mark does to keep the maintenance program on track."
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2025 16:35 |
| Story ID: | 548083 |
| Location: | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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