News>Kunsan, Seymour Johnson munitions Airmen build bombs for Red Flag-Alaska
Photos
Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmember, uses a speed handle to tighten down a strake as Staff Sgt. Joey Hanson, conventional maintenance crewchief, aligns the strake with the suspension lugs on a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The strake gives the bomb stabilization and lift in flight. Both Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman 1st Class Kyle Detwiler, conventional maintenance crewmember, lines up the jammer, as Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, and Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmember, guide an inert Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 onto a munitions trailer during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. Staff Sgt. Eric Worzalla, munitions controller, stands by to secure the bomb. Airmen Detwiler, Sherwood and Stepan are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. Sergeant Worzalla is deployed from the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, Senior Airman Jake Thibodeau and Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmembers, attach a tail kit onto a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The tail kit provides GPS and electronic steering. The Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
A conventional maintenance crew member with the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, connects a fuse cable to an initiator on a live Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. This connection arms the fuse, allowing the bomb to explode upon impact. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, inserts a fuse, Staff Sgt. Joey Hanson, conventional maintenance crewchief, connects the fuse to the initiator, Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmember, uses a speed handle to tighten down a strake as Tech. Sgt. Alan Bold, conventional maintenance production superintendent, aligns the strake with the suspension lugs on a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Conventional munitions crewmembers assemble 12 live Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38s during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, and the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman 1st Class Kyle Detwiler, conventional maintenance crewmember, secures an initiator into the initiator well of a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The initiator arms the fuse, allowing the bomb to explode upon impact. Airman Detwiler is deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman 1st Class Kyle Detwiler, conventional maintenance crewmember, lines up the jammer, as Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, and Senior Airman Jake Thibodeau, conventional maintenance crewmember, guide a live Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 onto a munitions trailer during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmember, uses a speed handle to tighten down a strake as Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, aligns the strake with the suspension lugs on a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The strake gives the bomb stabilization and lift in flight. Both Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Staff Sgt. Joey Hanson, conventional maintenance crewchief, works on an initiator, while Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmember, tightens a strake on a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The initiator helps the bomb explode upon impact, and the strake gives stabilization and lift to the bomb in flight. Both Airmen are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman 1st Class Randy Brooks, a conventional maintenance crewmember with the 8th Maintenance Squadron, stencils a weapon stock number onto a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The numbers help the munitions Airmen track all of the different pieces of the bomb for accountability. Airman Brooks is deployed from Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
A conventional maintenance crew member with the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, stencils a weapon stock number onto a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. The numbers help the Airmen track all of the different pieces of the bomb for accountability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Senior Airman Jake Thibodeau, a conventional maintenance crewmember, unhooks slings from a jammer and a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 before securing it onto a munitions trailer during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. Airman Thibodeau is deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, and Staff Sgt. Eric Worzalla, munitions controller, secure an inert Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 onto a munitions trailer during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. Airman Sherwood is deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. Sergeant Worzalla is deployed from the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Staff Sgt. Eric Worzalla, munitions controller, secures a Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 onto a munitions trailer during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. Sergeant Worzalla is deployed from the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
Staff Sgt. Eric Worzalla, munitions controller, stands by to secure an inert Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-38 onto a munitions trailer, as Airman 1st Class Amber Stepan, conventional maintenance crewmember, and Airman Jacob Sherwood, precision guided munitions crewmember, guide the bomb and Airman 1st Class Kyle Detwiler, conventional maintenance crewmember, lines up the jammer during Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 16, 2010. Sergeant Worzalla is deployed from the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. Airmen Stepan, Sherwood and Detwiler are deployed from the 8th Maintenance Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Shannon Collins)
by Capt. Shannon Collins
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
4/27/2010 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, ALASKA -- The team tightens the last screws, and inspects the bomb one more time. The fuse is linked to the initiator -- check. Next, the fin kit - the key to precision weapons guidance - is secure -- check. This team of Airmen must be gentle, precise, accurate -- this team is comprised of conventional maintenance Airmen, also known as Ammo.
Approximately 17 Airmen with the 8th Maintenance Squadron from Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, and 12 Airmen with the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., work together to build an arsenal of weaponry for F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-15E Strike Eagles during the 10-day exercise known as Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
Red Flag-Alaska is a realistic, multi-service, multi-platform combat training exercise. For Airman Jacob Sherwood, 8th MXS precision guided munitions crewmember, the training here at Red Flag-Alaska is invaluable.
"Back at Kunsan, I work PGM [precision guided munitions], so I do a lot of maintenance on munitions," he said. "Here, I'm building bombs, testing guidance units and tail kits, and line driving. Red Flag definitely helps you prepare for places like Iraq and Afghanistan because a lot of the work you do here is what you'll do over there."
Red Flag offers real hands-on experience, said Tech. Sgt. Alan Bold, an 8th MXS conventional maintenance production superintendent who's been in the Air Force for 15 years.
"At Kunsan, we usually only build bombs when we have a training exercise, so coming here, we get a lot of practice and experience," he said.
Senior Airman Martin Buttram Jr., 8th MXS munitions inspector, echoed their sentiments.
"These exercises are crucial to our mission," he said. "Our mission is to fly, fight and win. Training regularly keeps everyone skillful at their respective jobs and responsibilities."
One way the Airmen are receiving combat-style training is by how they assemble the bombs.
"Back at home station, bombs are assembled using a Munitions Assembly Conveyor, or MAC, to expedite the mass assembly of bombs," said Capt. Andrew Garcia, 80th Aircraft Maintenance Unit Officer in Charge. "On the MAC, bombs are assembled as they move across the conveyor, similar to a manufacturing assembly line. Here at Red Flag, Ammo must resort to using pallets as dunnage to support the bombs as they are assembled. The maintainer must go to each bomb instead of the bombs coming to him or her. Not having a MAC slows down the process of assembly, but it's similar to what they would use if they deployed to a bare base and had to start building bombs right away."
Ammo is a diverse career field when it comes to various aircraft, and the Airmen can build bombs for just about any airframe in just about any deployed environment. But when they're at one base, they may focus on just one aircraft. Here, they build bombs for F-16s and F-15Es, and become familiar with the local regulations and technical orders.
"Working with other units and building for their airframes gives us the chance to see the differences in the bomb configurations, even though they are small changes. It makes you more aware of the technical order and the attention to details," said Sergeant Bold.
This experience also allows Airmen the opportunity to operate jointly with Marines munitions team deployed from VMA 211, Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Ariz.
"We rarely get the chance to interact, but we all respect the Marines," said Airman Buttram. "Seeing them doing the same work and training we experience is great."
Whether it's for Marine AV-8B Harriers, F-16s or F-15Es, the Airmen and Marines know that their job is essential to the accomplishment of the overall mission.
"Wherever there are jets, they need us for the munitions," said Staff Sgt. Eric Worzalla, 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. "Without us being here, the pilots couldn't train with the munitions they use in the AOR [area of responsibility]. That leaves our ground forces without eyes in the sky. We help our pilots become better and more efficient at putting bombs on target by making sure that everything we build is 100 percent good to go. If that bomb we built doesn't go off when it's supposed to, it leaves our ground forces in harm's way when they call in air support."
For these Ammo Airmen, supplying the weaponry is only part of the challenge; they also have to make sure the weapons are reliable. For the Airmen, there's no greater feeling than seeing the aircraft return with an empty rack after a mission.
"It gives all of us a sense of accomplishment," said Airman Buttram. "Even if we don't see the end result, the fact that the munitions didn't come back is a good sign that we're doing our jobs well."
"That feeling is amazing, especially when you get to see the video footage from the aircraft, knowing what they just dropped is something you've built," said Sergeant Worzalla.
"It's easily one of the best feelings in the world," said Airman Sherwood. "I haven't found anything that compares with how it feels to know that the bomb you built just left a huge crater in the ground where a target used to be."
Although the Airmen are very proud of their part in this joint mission, they acknowledge the importance of everyone's roles and that it takes the efforts of the entire team to declare a successful mission.
"All jobs in the Air Force are important," said Airman Sherwood. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're flying a jet, building bombs, cleaning teeth, or printing a schedule, you're making a difference ... one force, one fight."
For Red Flag-Alaska and Distant Frontier, a week-long combat exercise following Red Flag-Alaska at Eielson, the two-base team will have assembled and delivered close to 200 bombs, more than 18,000 countermeasures and 10,000 rounds of 20mm high explosive incendiary ammunition within two weeks, said Master Sgt. Benjamin Walker, Ammo NCO in charge, 4th EMS. The live and inert munitions ranged from Joint Direct Attack Munitions GBU-31 and GBU-38s to GBU-12 Paveway IIs and GBU-24 Paveway IIs.
