Holloman maintainers training at Kunsan

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea --  Wearing chemical warfare gear is nothing new for F-117 Nighthawk maintainers from the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Wing Airmen have been to almost every “hot spot” in the world supporting Air Force global missions.

About 300 Airmen and their stealth aircraft from Holloman are currently deployed here as part of an air and space expeditionary force rotation to the Pacific region.

The deployment is giving the Airmen a firsthand look at where they someday may have to fight. Master Sgt. Lyle Gillogly, an aircraft section chief, is paying attention to his surroundings as he surveys the flightline through his gas mask.

“This is a rare opportunity for us to participate in wartime training in a place where we might have to come back and fight a real war,” he said. “We can’t duplicate this training back home.”

“We’re learning how to operate overseas,” said Staff Sgt. Alex Brown, a crew chief. “It’s better to find out the problems now than during a real-world deployment.”

After two weeks of orientation and familiarization, the Airmen participated in a weeklong exercise to practice defending South Korea against an attack.

“We’re learning how to fit in the big structure of Kunsan. This gives us a chance to work in a completely different environment instead of just the desert of New Mexico,” said Chief Master Sgt. David Creech, a maintenance superintendent.

One of their biggest adjustments is the weather, the Airmen said. Adjusting from a hot, dry summer to a moderate temperature with extreme humidity takes time. Although working outdoors can be unbearable, it has not stopped the maintainers from doing their jobs.

The F-117 stealth aircraft take off daily to conduct training over the South China Sea, leaving behind maintenance crews to hone their skills in their temporary home.

Airmen conduct daily inspections, functional checks, troubleshooting and repairs on general, propulsion and pneudraulics systems of the F-117 to ensure the planes fly safely and on time. They also launch, recover and generate aircraft to meet exercise or war-readiness taskings.

Working away from home has allowed the Airmen to build relations with the base F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft maintainers. Because F-16 maintainers are also qualified to work on F-117s, a number of Airmen who used to be in New Mexico are stationed here.

“I started calling this place ‘Little Holloman,’” said Master Sgt. Gerald Bies, Holloman’s lead production superintendent.

He said knowing people here has made their job a little bit better.

“I just call my friends at the maintenance group if I need help fixing my planes,” Sergeant Bies said.