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Aircrew flight equipment Airmen train Iraqis on life support mission

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Patrick McKenna
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
CAMP SPEICHER, Iraq --  The goal of any aircrew flight equipment shop is for its flyers to never have to actually think about whether the equipment they're wearing will work in the event it's needed.

The Airmen assigned to the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron's AFE shop on Combat Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, are also tasked with another responsibility -- to train Iraqi service members to take care of their pilots and the AFE equipment they rely on for mission success.

"We have four Iraqi soldiers training here," said Master Sgt. Michelle A. Bell, 52nd EFTS noncommissioned officer in charge of AFE. "They are responsible to make sure their pilots have perfect flight equipment. We came here into this shop with brand new Iraqi technicians, with no prior knowledge in AFE. They were introduced to helmets, oxygen masks, anti gravity suits, harnesses, and survival kits. Critical equipment ensuring pilots can both breathe in flight and also be rescued in case of an ejection."

With 30 years of combined service, Bell and the two NCOs who work with her, Tech. Sgt. Chris Hoover and Staff Sgt. Joe Cardiel, know the importance of training Iraqi technicians. Their goal has been not only to teach the technical side of the job , but also to instill a sense of significance.

The main message is: the lives of the pilots are in their hands, and there is no room for error on any task -- it's pass or fail.

"The responsibility we feel in maintaining this equipment is a great one that we take very seriously," Bell said, who is deployed from Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga. "We try to help the Iraqis and show them that the last time they touch this gear and send it out the door may be the last time they get to perform an inspection on it before it's actually used in an ejection situation. It could be the inspection they just did is the determining factor if that pilot lives or dies."

The Airmen in the AFE shop haven't been able to follow a traditional Air Force training schedule with their Iraqi counterparts and have had to adapt to some other challenges as well.

"Training is unique because they train 10 days on, 10 days off so they can go home and take care of their families," Bell said. "That poses a unique challenge for us trying to train someone 10 days at a time. Additionally, getting them to understand technical terms (where) there are no Arabic translations can be tough."

Bell joked that the Iraqis are better at English than she is at Arabic and said they are learning new technical terms every day.

In August, Bell and her staff presented two of the Iraqi service members with training qualification certificates and two others are close to achieving those qualifications as well.

"We've received a lot of experience and knowledge from Sergeant Bell and Sergeant Cardiel," said Private Naser, Iraqi AFE trainee. "After this training, we can now perform all the tasks in this shop."

Cardiel, deployed from the 2nd Operations Support Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., recently saw first hand his training put to use by one of the Iraqis and expressed pride in seeing the long hours paying off.

"This morning before their flight, one of the Iraqi pilots had issue with a piece of equipment," he said. "Naser stepped right in without hesitation to take care of it. He fixed the problem without any assistance."

With their training mission winding down, the Airmen in the 52nd AFE shop have seen marked improvement from the Iraqis they've trained and are optimistic about leaving the shop in good hands.

"We feel they are ready to take this on. They feel they are ready to take this on. Watching them learn and grow, you can see they take a great deal of pride in knowing a person's life is dependent on their work. That dedication to their country and fellow brothers in arms, as they build up their air force, inspires us."