Moving the wing

Senior Airman Brian Ball connects a vehicle fan to a stud during a maintenance repair at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. Without a fan inside of a shroud the radiator could overheat and possibly blow the motor. Ball is a 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle mechanic technician and a native of Carning, N.Y. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Staff Sgt. Travis Cecil unscrews a nut mounted to an airbag underneath a refueling truck during a maintenance repair at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. The airbag keeps the truck?s body off the frame to keep it from rubbing against the tires. Cecil is a 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron refueling maintenance technician and a native of New Haven, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Staff Sgt. Andrew Hawley reviews an Air Force Occupational Safety and Health standards checklist before performing an inspection on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. Hawley inspects anything that could be a safety hazard such as broken material, chemical storage, exit signs and personal protective equipment in the vehicle management flight. Hawley is a 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron customer service representative and a native of Burlington, Kan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Airman 1st Class Jeannette Talamantes updates a spreadsheet after a vehicle inspection at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. The vehicle inspection results are used to inform the 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle management flight that vehicles are being maintained properly. Talamantes is a 4 LRS vehicle maintenance management analyst and native of Artesia, N.M. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Senior Airman Brian Ball tightens a bolt on a shroud during maintenance repair at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. A shroud helps direct air through a radiator so it cools. Ball is a 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle mechanic technician and a native of Carning, N.Y. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Staff Sgt. Tyler Gardner and Airman 1st Class Jason Birdsong (front) inspect the belt on an engine during a routine weekly inspection at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. Fire truck maintainers are the only Airmen authorized to work on military fire trucks and are required to have a minimum of two trucks serviceable at all times. Gardner and Birdsong are both 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron fire truck maintainers. Birdsong is a native of Thomaston, Ga. and Gardner is a native of Haleyville, Ala. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Staff Sgt. Travis Cecil inserts a light bulb inside a refueling truck at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011. The 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS) vehicle management flight encourages squadrons to alert them to even the smallest problems on government vehicles. Cecil is a 4 LRS refueling maintenance technician and a native of New Haven, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield)

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Moving the wing

Published Sept. 29, 2011
By Senior Airman Whitney Stanfield
4th Fighter Wing

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Moving equipment from place to place keeps the 4th Fighter Wing mission ready, the 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle management flight keeps the base moving.

"We touch every mission on this base, we support the wing's mission," said Master Sgt. Charles Self, 4 LRS vehicle management foreman.

The 4 LRS vehicle management facility maintains 550 government vehicles on-base including all of the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron's equipment. If a vehicle or piece equipment breaks down on location, mobile maintenance will arrive. Mobile maintenance is on call 24/7 and provides an in-field diagnostic and if a problem cannot be fixed on-site the vehicle or piece of equipment is towed to the vehicle management shop.

"I love it [my job]," said Master Sgt. Marty Stanton, 4 LRS vehicle management superintendent.

Vehicle management is broken down into five sections: vehicle maintenance and analysis, mechanic shop, customer service element, fire truck maintenance and refueling maintenance. The vehicle maintenance and analysis section handles paperwork, the mechanical shop makes repairs on vehicles, customer service is the first element notified about vehicle issues and refueling maintenance works on the chassis of a refueling truck. No issue is too small to be reported, as the smallest thing ignored today can lead to an even bigger problem in the future.

"Most people fail to notice that the vehicles are paid by our tax dollars so we need to take care of them," said Self. "With the budget cuts our vehicles need to last longer."

Along with new vehicles come new manuals and technical orders. Each manual must be read and fully understood before Airmen can work on the new vehicle. While the new manuals may take longer to learn, the technicians follow all technical orders to ensure proper maintenance of all vehicles.

"We work a little longer then what we used to due to how advanced these newer vehicles are, we have to learn all the manuals before working on vehicles or equipment to ensure proper maintenance," said Stanton.

The 4 LRS vehicle management Airmen are ready to work at any given time. For any further information call 919-722-1225.