Rock Solid Warrior: Staff Sgt. Craig Stewart

Published Jan. 22, 2015
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Staff Sgt. Craig Stewart. He is an MQ-9 Reaper crew chief with the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The Sierra Vista, Arizona, native is deployed from the 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

Q: What is your family’s military heritage (anyone else in your family who was/is in the military?):
A: Both my grandfathers retired from the Army, my uncle recently retired from the Air Force and my youngest brother is enlisting in the Marine Corps when he graduates high school.

Q: What is your mission here (in general terms)?
A: My mission here is to maintain the mechanical systems of MQ-9 Reapers. From daily servicing (fuel, oil, etc.) to in depth maintenance (changing motors, propellers and flight control surfaces), I maintain the aircraft from out of the box to ready-to-fly.

Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: The best part of my mission is how versatile this weapon system is. It is rewarding to work with something that plays such a crucial role in Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A: New hurdles arise on a regular basis when working with a relatively new airframe. New modifications as well as untested operating environments bring various unexpected challenges to the table; which are overcome mainly by working hand-in-hand with great Field Service Reps, but also using other Subject Matter Expert’s and my own unique experiences.

Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: Home station efforts are geared toward training new pilots as well as proficiency training, making for a much slower pace. The deployed operations tempo is much faster than what we see at home and work hours are much longer, which fortunately helps to make time seem to go by much faster.

Q: How many times have you deployed?
A: I have been deployed five times since 2010.

Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: Our unit has recently had the opportunity to deploy with other bases we have not worked with before. It is refreshing to get new perspectives and experiences from them.

Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: I joined the Air Force to pursue a technical career that would allow me to travel, see new places outside of my small hometown and to get an education.