Life support takes new meaning for deployed Airmen

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Rich Romero
  • 40th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) --  Two small shops with more than double the workload as at home station pray their efforts supporting Operation Enduring Freedom are all for naught.

That is because lives depend upon flawless work on the life support equipment in their care. If the equipment is never used, life support Airmen say that is a good thing.

“At home, it’s mostly training sorties. Here, it’s the real deal, and you have to be at the top of your game,” said Airman 1st Class Aaron Young, a life support journeyman with the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. “Regardless, my job is always to ensure my crewmembers are safe because of the equipment I maintain.”

Five Airmen from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., support bomber and tanker aircraft at this forward-deployed location. While they assist one another where possible, each aircraft type in the Air Force inventory requires different life support equipment, so there are limits to what they can do cooperatively.

For the particular bombers here, the equipment they install, inspect, issue and maintain includes parachutes, form-fitting helmets and gas masks, hand guns, night-vision goggles, survival kits, chemical suits, life preservers and encrypted radios. They also ensure aircrew members are current on survival and weapons training, and equipment use.

“Because we issue them weapons, we receive a different level of weapons training than most people who aren’t security forces,” said Senior Airman Karen Ainsley, another life support journeyman with the 23rd EBS. “We even have our own armory.”

Both Airmen Young and Ainsley have previous deployment experience which they put to use before leaving Minot AFB by ensuring aircrews there were current in their training before leaving home station. They also inspected and fixed what needed repairing back home.

“We prepared a lot of equipment before we left because we knew what was in store for us after getting here,” said Airman Ainsley, a Rockledge, Fla., native who deployed here before.

The environment creates yet another challenge which is compounded by parts availability.

“The heat literally melts the Teflon on the release system) on the parachutes installed in the aircraft,” said Airman Young, a native of Marion, Ohio. “We have to replace it when that happens. Parts are limited and supply channels (can be) troublingly slow.”

Regardless of the difficulties they experience, life support Airmen here constantly keep one thing in mind that puts it all into perspective for them.

“Lives are at stake,” Airman Young said. “I’ve done more exhausting work here than I ever have, but I know my aircrews are safe in the air because of the job I did on the ground.”