Reserve Airmen provide enroute maintenance in Turkey

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col.Kimberly Lalley
  • 514th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Seven Citizen Airmen from the 514th Maintenance Squadron recently provided C-17 maintenance support at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

They were joined by two Air National Guard members from the 123rd Contingency Response Group in Kentucky.

The primary mission of the 123rd CRG is to provide rapidly deployable forces to the United States Air Force to open forward airfields in an expeditionary environment as a completely self-contained unit. Unit members represent a broad spectrum of specialties, including airfield security, ramp and cargo operations, aircraft maintenance, and command and control. 

The two Air National Guard members work on C-17s through their work with the contingency response group. The Kentucky Air National Guard flies C-130s.

Maintainers from the Kentucky CRG seek opportunities to participate in enroutes with the Air Force Reserve to work on C-17s.   

Master Sgt. Sean Marshall, an Air Reserve Technician, was the team chief. His specialty is C-17 electrical and environmental systems. This was his first enroute experience, and he said it was quite different from operating at home.  He worked in production, which is not his expertise, so he broadened his maintenance experience. 

Tech. Sgt. Wesley Sime, a hydraulics specialist, reconnected with an active-duty maintainer  who was stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., but who had moved to Incirlik.  Sime said it was a break from the everyday routine. 

Serving in an associate unit, 514th Air Mobility Wing Airmen often work side-by-side with their active-duty counterparts. This is especially true in the aircraft maintenance field, as maintainers work closely with each other, and friendships are formed. Sime was able to share a few meals with his active-duty buddy. 

Entry onto Incirlik AB can be tricky. The gate guards are Turkish, but an American Airman is always on duty at the gate. It requires more than showing a military ID card. 

To get on and off the base, a pass is required. There are curfews established and all trips out of the local area must be approved by unit commanders. 

After the first week, personnel at Incirlik were locked down and not allowed to go anywhere other than the alley. The alley offers local shopping and is directly outside the base.

Staff Sgt. Anthony McCourt, a C-17 guidance and control specialist, also experienced his first enroute.

He said he appreciated being a part of the bigger mission.

At home, he said,  we don't get to see the direct results of what we do. After seeing all the activity on and above Incirlik, he said he felt a more direct impact on the mission.

During off-duty time, the maintainers stayed on the base and spent time at the gym and playing sports.

Their billeting consisted of four people sharing a bathroom. It was set up like a dorm with small rooms that connected to the bathroom. Sergeant Marshall said the shared space helped improved the experience by forcing the Airmen to get to know one another.

The maintainers were sent to help their active-duty counterparts. The Guard and Reserve maintainers concentrated on the C-17 maintenance to off-set the workload so the permanent party could work on C-5s. 

The two weeks in Turkey demonstrated the total force --Reserve, Air National Guard and active-duty Airmen-- all working together for a common goal.