445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
8/4/2014 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Europe's only fully maintenance-capable base benefited from an influx of experience as 20 maintainers from the 445th Airlift Wing traveled to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to serve annual tour, July 7-21. During their two-week stay, 445th maintainers launched, recovered, and repaired C-17 Globemaster IIIs and offered technical expertise on C-5 Galaxy aircraft to enable Air Mobility Command support for warfighting and humanitarian efforts.
"Our goal was seamless integration with the active duty maintainers," said Maj. Randy Gantt, 445th AMXS officer and en-route officer-in-charge.
That integration was clear from the start, as 445th maintainers dove in and immediately began volunteering for the more complex repair jobs. The 445th team included six crew chiefs and 13 specialists, many of them full-time Air Reserve Technicians. The Airmen represented a wealth of knowledge that they were able to share, as 721st maintainers observed the reservists and asked questions.
"This was an opportunity for cross-pollination of ideas," said Capt. Robert O'Day, 721st AMXS officer. "We exchange best practices and everybody wins."
"The presence of the 445th maintainers is mutually beneficial to us," agreed Senior Master Sgt. Brendan Hilton, 721 AMXS superintendent. "I want my maintainers to learn from the reservists, and our maintainers also have experiences to share."
Although they were there to assist with C-17s, 445th Airmen were also able to offer technical counsel on the many C-5s transiting the base. The 445th Airlift Wing was home to 10 C-5s from 2005-2012 before fully transitioning to the C-17 and many of the reservists had years of experience working on the Galaxy.
"It was easy to see that we made an impact," said Gantt. "Together with the 721st, we made a good, cohesive team and made our expertise clear."
The 445th maintainers were quick to acknowledge the difference in operations tempo. "The mentality here is 'hurry up and get [the plane] out,'" said Tech. Sgt. Keric Johnson, 445th AMXS crew chief. "At Wright-Patt, we generally get to take our time. But these planes are just passing through, and it's our job to get them on their way as quickly as possible. We also have a crew chief for every aircraft, and here, there's just not the manning."
In addition to sharing their on-the-job experiences, 445th Airmen also helped educate their active-duty counterparts on reserve service and the differences between traditional reservists, Air Reserve Technicians, and Individual Mobilization Augmentees. Many of the 721st maintainers were young in their careers and unfamiliar with the differences. Some assumed all reservists serve a sole weekend a month.
"They may have assumed that, as reservists, we don't know much, but then we get out there and show them and they quickly change their minds," said Johnson. "They were eager to learn from our expertise."
The support from the 445th AW afforded 721st AMXS Airmen the chance to take leave and catch up on training and maintenance requirements, said Maj. Sean Goode, 721st AMXS commander, who took command the day that 445th Airmen arrived.
The 445th maintainers ended their two-week stint feeling more capable and confident.
"It's been an excellent experience," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Brodarick, 445th AMXS pneudraulics specialist. "I feel as though I've contributed to the mission here."
"This two-week mission was about letting our maintainers shine," said Gantt. "We showed the active duty what we bring to the table."
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