15th Wing Public Affairs office
2/4/2015 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- The 735th Air Mobility Squadron hosted a tour of their squadron for the Kanaloa Chapter of the Logistics Officer Association here Jan. 29.
The behind-the-scenes tour brought together logistics and maintenance officers from the 15th Wing, Pacific Air Forces and the 154th Wing for an inside look at the squadron's day-to-day operations.
"This was a great opportunity to expose maintenance and logistics readiness officers to the different tribes across the logistics enterprise," said Capt. Blake Johnson, Aerial Port operations officer. "This LOA-sponsored tour bridged some of our interconnected processes and allowed our maintenance brothers and sisters to get a first-person perspective on Aerial Port operations."
During the tour, members of LOA were educated on the inner workings of an Air Mobility Squadron including passenger services, air freight, Air Terminal Operations Center and Air Mobility Command Control Center.
Maj. Jerrymar Copeland, 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander and president of the LOA Kanaloa Chapter, said the purpose of the event was to build relationships, increase cross-organizational job awareness and reduce mission delays through education.
According to Copeland, the tour was especially important considering the unique relationship the officers share. Though most LOA members work at different duty centers, all of the officers belong to the logistics career field which includes not only supply, transportation and readiness officers, but maintenance officers as well.
"We all want to know the impact we have on one another and how we can work together to accomplish the mission," said Capt. Kelly Womble, 15th Maintenance Flight commander and Vice President of the LOA Kanaloa Chapter. "Events like these help us see the big picture and things that go on that we don't normally see. It's good to know the 'why' behind the 'what' when it comes to how things are done."
First Lt. Clint Johnson, KC-135 Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge, said he'd never been to the Aerial Port or seen a palette buildup prior to the LOA tour.
"Being able to get out here and get hands-on experience and eyes on the process is definitely beneficial and a better way to learn about the operation," he said.
Copeland said most of the officers who attended the tour work in positions that directly contribute to or impact the 735th AMS mission, so it's important for them to understand their part in the process.
"I know for maintenance officers, it's very easy to get focused on the task at hand and get tunnel vision, but it's so important to take time to understand the other moving parts," he said.
Though the tour was the first event of its kind for the officers, Copeland said he looks forward to setting up more opportunities to professionally develop the members in the future.
"The LOA is a professional organization for logistics and maintenance officers, and this gives us a chance to network within our career field," Copeland said.
In addition to networking, Copeland said LOA events also aid young officers in becoming better leaders.
"The more we know about each other and how things operate, the better we're able to lead our Airmen and help them understand what is needed to accomplish the mission," he said.
Copeland said ultimately the tour and the LOA is about coming together to support other logistics and maintenance officers and work together as a team.
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