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380AEW Article

Warrior of the Week

  • Published
  • By 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Air Force Brig. Gen. John T. Quintas, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Samer Alkhoury, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, presented two Airmen with warrior of the week certificates at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, July 24, 2014.

Staff Sgt. John Thorpe, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, and Senior Airman Ian Ivey, 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, were recognized for their achievements.

Staff Sgt. Thorpe performed 16 full-pressure suit inspections ensuring pilot safety above 70,000 feet altitude with an inventory valued at $4M. He repaired three full-pressure suit helmets with zero downtime. Additionally, he was instrumental in the launch of 165 U-2 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and emerging operations, resulting in more than 1,000 hours of intel imagery collected. As HAZCOM program manager, Sgt. Thorpe maintained 24 hazardous chemicals and ensured proper Material Safety Data Sheets were on hand.

Senior Airman Ivey had zero discrepancies on two quality assurance evaluations which extended to 19 months, the length of time his aircraft maintenance unit has been rated "Excellent" by QA. Additionally, he responded to an aircraft that was blocking an active taxiway due to a blown nose wheel steering hydraulic line. He was an integral part of the crew that safely recovered the jet, opening the taxiway in less than 10 minutes. Senior Airman Ivey also led a tour for 12 cadets, providing insight to the future leaders about aircraft maintenance.