Teamwork keeps tankers flying

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Matkin
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  A team of active-duty, Reserve and Guard servicemembers of the 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit here maintain aircraft built during President Dwight D. Eisenhower's era in temperatures exceeding 110 degrees here.

The working dynamics at the 340th AMU differ from most Air Force bases working on KC-135 Stratotankers built as early as the 1950s because the teams are comprised of active-duty, reservists and guardsmen, yet while all may follow the same technical orders, each has its own idiosyncrasies. 

"Sometimes when a new member arrives, the first week can be challenging because of the hectic pace," said Staff Sgt. Marcus Yancich, a 340th AMU crew chief. "Getting new members up to speed requires teamwork from the very beginning. It is through this growing process that we build camaraderie. It is amazing that my total force team has been able to blend and work together so well," said Sergeant Yancich who is deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

Senior Airman Ryne Zeller, a 340th AMU aircraft electrical environmental systems technician, agreed. 

"At my home station, it is a much slower pace," he said. "Here, not only are we working with new people who do things slightly different, but also we're achieving the mission in a high operational tempo environment. This different work style initially creates problems but, because of the pace, we end up falling in sync; this is the moment we become a true team."

"Team building is important because we do not bring teams here, we create them in the (area of responsibility) and we bring them together in a matter of days," said Chief Master Sgt. Antonio Kitt, the 340th AMU superintendent who is deployed from McConnell AFB, Kan.

It is through these strong teams they are able to get the mission completed every day, said Maj. Aaron Beam, the 340th AMU officer in charge who hails from Phoenix. "The mission happens, despite the challenges and obstacles, because of the hard work the teams put into it."

"Seeing the results of our work is the most satisfying part of my job," said Airman Zeller who is deployed from the Phoenix Air National Guard and a native of Chandler, Ariz. "The plane taking off is doing so because our team fixed it, and that makes you feel like you have really made a difference."

"The operational tempo here sometimes requires us to be outside working like ants in a frenzy just to get the mission accomplished; however, that is when I really feel like I am contributing to today's fight," said Sergeant Yancich, a native of New Orleans. 

Because the high-mission tempo requires the aircraft to fly almost every day, the maintainers must work hard to keep the aircraft in optimal condition, Airman Zeller said. "Back home, if an aircraft breaks it can be switched out with a spare. Here, there are no spares."

Since every aircraft is actively engaged in supporting the mission, any aircraft that breaks must be fixed quickly. This is where the cohesive teams really shine, Major Beam said. "The maintainers make the impossible fixes possible and they make it look easy. This allows the wing to fly the missions tasked to them each and every day."

Keeping the KC-135s in the air every day is a testament to the hard work and synergy of the teams, said Major Beam who is deployed from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., said. The average age of the KC-135s here is 49 years old, yet the maintainers are able to keep these aircraft mission-capable 24/7. Keeping the tankers in the air makes it possible for the aircraft crew members to deliver up to 200,000 pounds of fuel to aircraft flying over Iraq and Afghanistan. The 379 AEW provides close to 85 percent of all the air-refueling support in Iraq and nearly 35 percent for Afghanistan in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

"It is the positive attitudes and incredible work ethic of our maintainers that keeps the KC-135 in the air and in the fight every day," said Chief Kitt, a native of Birmingham, Ala.