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ROCK SOLID WARRIOR

  • Published
  • 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Senior Airman Paige Sagen

EC-130H crew chief

Home unit/base: 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz.

How do you support the mission here? I am a crew chief supporting the EC-130H Compass Call Aircraft Maintenance Unit. I perform all types of maintenance to ensure this high demand/low density asset remains airworthy to perform its electronic warfare attack mission over Iraq and Afghanistan.

How many times have you deployed and what makes this one unique? This is my second deployment here; my first deployment was last year. This deployment has been extremely unique due to the fact that our aircraft have had unusual discrepancies that have required us to use the Japanese Air Self Defense Force hangar on numerous occasions. Because of this, we've been able to forge a strong bond with our coalition partners.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? For me and everyone in the Silver Aircraft Maintenance Unit, it could be said "home station is a learning environment, while the desert is an application environment." When new situations arise, you get hit with an overwhelming feeling that the decisions you make have a direct impact on whether an aircraft will take off to provide the necessary electronic warfare support on the ground.