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ROCK SOLID WARRIOR

  • Published
  • 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Senior Airman Sean Ward 

Vehicular and Equipment Maintenance Journeyman

Home unit/base: 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany

How do you support the mission here? As just one member of a highly skilled maintenance crew, it's my job to perform both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on a vast array of mission essential vehicle assets, as well as to respond to vehicular emergencies when called upon. Myself, and the talented members of this staff ensure that the many organizations on this base have the critical assets necessary to carry out their respective missions.

How many times have you deployed and what makes this one unique? This is my first deployment, but there are a few occurrences and fond memories that I am certain will set this deployment apart from any other I may experience. I doubt I'll ever have another experience like driving a John Deere 724J bucket loader through the crowded streets of the nearby international airport again.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? Much of the details of my job will always be the same no matter the theatre; there will always be a need for vehicles, and there will always be vehicles in need of repair. At home station, there was a high Ops tempo, but I never really felt as though the work I had done had any direct effect on the overall mission and the speed in which it was carried out. 

Deploying here pulled the veil from my eyes and revealed the true impact of the job we do. I developed a new appreciation for this job as I turned wrenches for the many groups present on this base. I need only walk down the street to see a forklift I have repaired carrying water to many organizations operating on this base. A short trip to the flight line is a monument to the accomplishments of vehicular maintenance, as can be seen when cargo is loaded onto planes using critical assets such as forklifts and 60 K-loaders, or when the fuels distribution flight Airmen use refueling trucks to fill aircraft with the fuel they need to accomplish the mission at hand. I can see now that we are just one of the many gears that must keep turning in order to keep the mobility machine moving.