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Lajes Field is pit stop for deploying aircrews

AFPN

Release Date: 10/25/2002

by Staff Sgt. Beverly Isik 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

10/25/02 - LAJES FIELD, Azores (AFPN) -- It is about getting aircrews to war so they can drop bombs on bad guys. That is how airmen from the 65th Operations Support Squadron here describe the importance of what they do every day on this tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic.

Lajes is a pit stop in the global war on terrorism. The 65th Air Base Wing moves the equivalent of an entire fighter squadron every three days, 12 months a year. In the past year, that is about 3,000 aircraft including fighters from the United States and 20 allied nations.

While some airmen read about rapid global mobility and global attack, maintainers here live it, said Capt. Emille Bryant, 65th OSS maintenance officer.

The wing has no maintenance group, so nearly 50 airmen and Portuguese civilians work for the only operations support squadron in the Air Force with maintainers, according to Bryant.

These airmen play a critical role in enabling expeditionary forces, the captain said. Without them, missions are significantly changed and deployment schedules are lengthened.

"You can't put your finger on one key aspect of what we do that's more important than another is," he said.

Airmen in the unit do everything from removing a screw that is stuck in a panel to replacing part of a flight control circuit.

"You name it, we've done it in the last year," Bryant said.

Airmen from the operations support squadron also provide everything from weather and air traffic control to transient alert maintenance, search and recovery and fabrication.

Technicians from the fabrication branch pull oil samples out of every fighter that comes through here. They analyze them to make sure the engines aren't going to break on the way to the war, said Master Sgt. Gene Lawson, maintenance superintendent. If they find something wrong with the aircraft, they fix it.

"Flexibility and versatility aren't just tenets of aerospace power," Bryant said. "They're the mantra for airmen in the squadron."

Airmen from the unit have a diplomatic mission as well -- assisting with the delivery of aircraft for foreign military sales, Bryant explained.

"Lockheed Martin comes through here with a lot of F-16s to sell to other nations," He said.

OSS airmen recover the aircraft, refuel them, sometimes store them and send them on their way. They have helped with F-16 Fighting Falcon sales to Greece, Egypt and Bahrain. "We're as diverse an organization as you can imagine," he said. "The people who are taking care of these missions on a day-to-day basis are awesome."

Self-motivated, disciplined, flexible and creative, those are the kinds of people Bryant said keep OSS on target.

"Their biggest goal in life is to make sure that iron (aircraft) that comes here leaves on time."

Airmen from the unit pride themselves in taking care of the "human" aspect of the mission. When troops are returning from operations in the Middle East, the OSS welcoming party meets them at the flightline with something cold to drink. Then they bring them back to the squadron for a barbecue and make sure they have rooms and transportation, Bryant said.

"We make sure the human part is taken care of," he said.

Air Combat Command recently recognized the unit with the 2002 Maintenance Effectiveness Award.

"Lots of people get awards, but it's not just about us," Bryant said. "We all have to remember the focus is on the soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who needs us to get some gas, a little shut eye and get on to the next leg of his or her mission." (Courtesy of U.S. Air Force in Europe News Service)