An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Maintainers continue training in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa C. Miles
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
NEW AL MUTHANNA AIR BASE, Iraq --  Although the 321st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron here will soon be deactivated, U.S. Air Force maintainers will continue to assist the Iraqis by making sure they are fully capable of keeping their C-130 aircraft in the air. 

Tech. Sgts. Julie Litz, electrical environmental specialist, and William Kusar, aircraft structural maintenance and metals technician advisor, are two Airmen who will remain deployed to complete this mission. 

For Sergeant Litz, remaining in-country is necessary, as more than half the 25 Iraqi airmen she trains have yet to reach the desired skill level. 

"We have three 7-levels, approximately four 5-levels and 13 3-levels," she said. "It's my goal to have all 3-levels to 5-levels within the year I'm here." 

Sergeant Litz says a major difference can be seen in the day-to-day operations here versus at her home station, Travis Air Force Base, Calif. 

"The maintenance here is a lot more slow paced," she said. "It's a lot of DV missions here, not many cargo missions. It makes it a lot slower paced. They might fly two to three lines a week, where we might fly six lines a day. We just turn it into a training situation here." 

So far, Sergeant Litz has trained her students on alternating and direct current power, and is in the process of teaching them pressurization and air conditioning. 

"I try to teach one main thing a week," the Escalon, Calif, native said. "As soon as I get an opportunity to train hands-on, I try to do it immediately. Anything my career field has, I plan to pass on so they can fulfill their mission and become a qualified, full-fledged air force on the C-130." 

Sergeant Kusar, who is deployed from Charleston AFB, S.C., is the third advisor his section has had and says thanks to his predecessors, he can take the Iraqis to the next level in on-the-job training. 

"We're about to move into a new facility, and we ordered some power equipment to help us do our job easier," he said. "They are used to working with hand tools because that's all they've ever had. It's kind of a unique situation to try to tell and show them the benefit that a precision machine will have versus hands. I think we've overcome that barrier and they understand why we need to have it. 

"Basically what we're doing is teaching them to take care of their own entity and aircraft and to be a safe and reliable air force to carry troops and equipment throughout Iraq," he continued. 

Knowing both sergeants will be deployed for a year away from their families at home, the Iraqis have accepted their advisors as not only teachers, but family as well. 

"They've always supported us," one Iraqi C-130 engineer officer said. "In the beginning of this base, they opened the classes to teach my guys technical levels for their jobs. Now we're able to make everything ourselves. Sometimes, we still need the help. We still need Americans as a friend and a family."
 
Both students and teachers are looking forward to the possibilities the newly learned skills offer. 

"I see better aircraft and I really see them being competent and able to keep them flying safely," Sergeant Kusar said. "We'd like to see them to the point where their maintenance and their aircraft can assist everything we're doing throughout the world." 

With each day of C-130 maintenance training, Sergeants Litz and Kusar are helping the Iraqis soar to a better future.