Ammo Airmen help put steel on target

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vann Miller
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Listen closely around the desert flightline at this deployed location and you will eventually hear the scream of an eagle or falcon flying overhead.

These birds of prey are Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons racing off to support the war on terrorism. Helping ground forces “take a bite” out of enemy targets, they provide tactical air support and bring air superiority to the fight. Contributions from the munitions flight’s Airmen help make these “birds” so effective.

“When ammo troops get an air tasking order from our group commander, there is no question as to whether it will get done,” said Master Sgt. Clark Elliott, conventional maintenance element chief deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. “The only question we are concerned with is, ‘When do you have to have it?’”

The Airmen are responsible for the weapons used on the base’s combat aircraft. Bombs, missiles and even chaff and flares are all under their care.

“(They) do not come assembled in a box,” Sergeant Elliott said. ”It takes numerous manhours to assemble (them).”

The technicians of the ammo flight inspect each part of the weapon assembly. It is their intimate working knowledge of each component that makes the weapons they build so effective. Each separate component passes through their hands and is quality-checked and inspected to ensure the final product will perform as expected.

“We assemble all of the components that make it a functional weapon,” said Senior Airman Jessica Ducat, also deployed from Seymour Johnson AFB. “We know what is at stake.”

Sergeant Elliott said that it takes many people to make the operation happen, and he takes pride in knowing that his team makes a huge impact.

“Knowing you were a main part of the overall success is the most exciting part of the job,” he said.

The work is not finished for ammo troops when the aircraft are parked on the ramp after a mission. They have to track every bomb that is dropped as well as each one that comes back.

“You can’t leave assembled munitions out on the flightline until they are dropped (on targets),” Sergeant Elliott said. ”You have to monitor their service life.”

Every weapon the ammo Airmen build is monitored and accounted for. Tracking the component’s lifespan guarantees serviceability and readiness, said Tech. Sgt. Neil Bradley, who is deployed from the Illinois Air National Guard’s 183rd Fighter Wing.

When aircrews launch aircraft on a mission, there is only one chance to do it right, Sergeant Bradley said. “In the long run, it’s the mission capability or a pilot’s life at stake if we don’t do our jobs right,” he said.

When ground forces call in an air strike on a target, they need results, said Tech. Sgt. Austin Dearing, who is also deployed from the Illinois Air National Guard. “We know that these weapons are designed to take lives, but they save the lives of our guys on the ground and on the battle field,” Sergeant Dearing said.