Pieces of flare: Maintainers construct aircraft defense devices

by Senior Airman Bryan Swink

60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

3/21/2014 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 60th Maintenance Squadron munitions flight kicked into high gear March 10 as it started its semiannual flare build.

A team of munitions specialists, consisting of active-duty and Reserve personnel, will produce approximately 1,500 flares every day and roughly 6,000 in total during the four-day operation. These flare are a critical defense capability for two of Travis' airframes: the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III.

They are able to produce so many flares because of the organized system of operations the team has developed, which focuses on speed, efficiency and, most importantly, safety.

"We live and die by our (technical orders)," said Tech. Sgt. George Rodriguez, 349th Maintenance Squadron munitions storage crew chief. "This assembly line system doesn't work and serious problems can occur if we aren't following exactly what is laid out in the TOs."

The team constantly keeps safety in mind when dealing with any of the highly explosive munitions it works with on a daily basis, but it's more than just flare it oversees.

"We inspect, certify, maintain, store and refurbish a $17.7 million munitions stockpile to support all of the Travis aircraft and base agencies with ammunition," said Tech. Sgt. Steven Peterson, 60th MXS material superintendent.

These highly trained experts are not only responsible for aircraft defensive flare and ammunition for security forces, but also anything the Air Force uses that has to do with explosives.

"Our team at Travis mainly supports our aircraft with flare, but during a deployment, we can work on anything from bombs to egress systems on fighter jets to ensure a pilot can eject properly if needed," said Staff Sgt. Lonnie Seale, 60th MXS munitions inspector.

The munitions specialists assigned to the 60th and 349th MXS know how important their mission is not only at Travis, but to the Air Force as a whole.

"The attention to detail, level of focus and consideration of safety play a big part in everything we do," said Senior Airman Daniel Vandetta, 60th MXS munitions storage crew chief. "We understand lives are on the line and that gives us great pride in knowing how important our role is in the Air Force mission."

The team's work ethic has paid off and is reflected by Air Force leadership as it was recognized as the Air Mobility Command's Best Weapons Safety Program for 2013. The team also received an outstanding rating on its latest Combined Unit Inspection, Compliance Inspection and the Logistics Compliance Assessment Program.

"This is absolutely one of the best ammo groups I have ever worked with," Peterson said. "These young men and women are some of the most dedicated and motivated people the Air Force has to offer."