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Instinctive action prevents catastrophe

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Law
  • 455 Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan --  The Airmen of the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit here maintain, launch and recover aircraft in order to provide 24-hour aerial-combat support for coalition forces in Afghanistan. 

Often times, these men and women are faced with challenges outside their routine, requiring them to recall their training and react instinctively. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Billie, an F-15E crew chief deployed here from the 335th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., faced such a challenge Feb. 26 after an engine-start failure on an F-15E Strike Eagle. 

A small motor that starts the fighter's engines, the Jet Fuel Starter, shelled out, sending shrapnel onto the flightline. 

"I went out to help the crew chief on the jet clean up the area and find out how much damage had occurred." said Sergeant Billie. "When I came upon the scene, I noticed there was a lot of shrapnel on the ground." 

Instinctively, Sergeant Billie looked up into the engine's exhaust to check the damage. This is when he noticed flames flickering in the engine compartment. 

Sergeant Billie, an F-15 crew chief for eight years, had never personally witnessed flames in the engine before. 

"I had someone come over and verify, just to double check, because you don't want to jump to conclusions," Sergeant Billie said. 

With the flames confirmed, Sergeant Billie immediately ran over and grabbed the hose off the Halon fire extinguisher while simultaneously instructing another crew chief to charge the bottle. Charging the bottle is a process of removing a safety pin and pushing the charging handle forward to pressurize the hose. 

Sergeant Billie yelled out to approximately eight Airmen in the vicinity to clear the area. He ran back to the aircraft, pointed the hose into the exhaust and sprayed the bottle's contents onto the fire before it turned catastrophic. 

"The first thing that crossed my mind was the live explosives," said Sergeant Billie. "My thoughts were we need to put this fire out now." 

Sergeant Billie explained F-15 crew chiefs are trained to deal with this situation, but because it is not a frequent occurrence, it is imperative to remember the training and react without hesitation. 

"His actions were outstanding!" said Senior Master Sgt. Donald Poormon, 335 EAMXU F-15E assistant superintendent. "He acted perfectly and you couldn't ask for better." 

Brig. Gen. James Hyatt, former 455th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, recognized 
Sergeant Billie with a commander's coin at a meeting with the wing's group commanders and chief master sergeants.