Weapons load competition showcases Airmen's precision, excellence

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kenny Holston
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) --  Airmen in the 20th Fighter Wing weapons standardization unit held their quarterly Weapons Load Crew of the Quarter competition here July 8.

Load crewmembers from Shaw's three fighter squadrons, the 55th "Shooters," the 77th "Gamblers" and the 79th "Tigers," participated in the competition to find out who's the best.

However, the Shooters' crew 55-2 pulled out their big guns, loading each of the weapons faster than the other crews and that earned them the title of top load crew on Shaw.

The history of weapons loading competitions in the Air Force dates back before the Korean War.

"It's competitions like these that help our Airmen hone their skills," said Col. Helen Brasher, the 20th Maintenance Group commander. "Competing amongst each other inspires comradely and pride. Watching these Airmen perform at such a high level makes me proud."

As with most team-driven competitions, it was imperative that crews worked together in order to achieve the fastest time and outscore their opponents.

"Team work and communication is what wins these competitions," said Senior Master Sgt. Eric Marshall, the 55th Aircraft Maintenance Unit team leader. "Each one of my guys knows exactly where the other one is going to move next. Everyone picks up slack, and precision is a must. Traits such as these are what make the weapons load members of the 55th Aircraft Maintenance Unit 'shooterific.'"

As real-world events continue to take place around the globe, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, all aspects of mission capabilities, including weapons loading, must be ready at a moment's notice.

"We hold these competitions for several reasons," Brasher said. "One of the main reasons is mission readiness. Our Airmen only have but a few minutes in between aircraft sorties to get weapons loaded before that jet launches again. These contests sharpen skills and push Airmen to move as quickly as possible."

In this particular competition, crews had to load two air-intercept missiles, two air-to-air missiles and one air-to-air sidewinder missile within a forty-five minute time frame.

"With each crew containing such skilled Airmen these competitions are always tough," said Senior Airman Gerry Escalona, a 55th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load member. "But, I feel our team performed excellent today. There's times that I think we could have moved a bit faster, but sometimes slow is smoother and smooth is fast."

Whatever the equation was, it seemed to bring success for the 55th "Shooters," for this weapons competition. The other teams now have three months until the next contest to hone their skills.