ROCK SOLID WARRIOR Published May 4, 2009 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Airman 1st Class Weston B. Lucus Job: Electronic Warfare Journeyman Home Unit: 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas How do you support the mission here? I support the mission here by maintaining Electronic Counter Measures systems on the C-130E/ H model aircraft. This primarily consists of loading and unloading aircraft flare and chaff munitions. This process ensures that the munitions are mission ready when loaded and safe when un-loaded. I also operate the Foreign Object Damage BOSS equipment to prevent aircraft damage by removing debris from the flightline. This helps prevent potential aircraft damage to engines, tire cuts and other general aircraft damage that may result from loose objects on the ramp. How many times have you deployed and what makes this one unique? This is my first deployment. This one is unique to me because I had the opportunity to fly on a C-130H from my home unit. In addition, I assisted in troubleshooting my system and had the opportunity to dispense flares during on an Operational Check Flight. This was the first time I had the chance to operate this part of my system in an operational environment. How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? It's very different here because the aircraft heavily rely on our systems, while at home station, we only train on our systems. I feel like I'm an essential part of the mission here and that's a great feeling.