Ammo: Pilots of the maintenance field

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  In a hostile location, there is no more horrifying sound to the enemy than the roar of jets overhead, but it is not the aircraft themselves they have to be afraid of-it is what they are packing.

The chances of surviving a direct bomb strike from an Air Force aircraft are slim because the Airmen who create bombs and missiles from hundreds of parts remain at the top of their game all the time, every time.

"There's no Air Force without ammo," said Senior Airman Kenneth Washington, a proud Airman from the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron conventional maintenance squadron, who believes he has one of the most important (if not the most important) jobs in the Air Force.

At Seymour Johnson, people usually see munitions Airmen driving to and from work, or if they are lucky enough to get authorization to enter the facility. Their major part in the mission goes unnoticed by many because people are unaware that the munitions loaded by crew chiefs and launched by pilots begin in an ammo complex and not in factories. More than hundreds of pieces are tracked, maintained and constructed into bombs by Airmen.

"We work with some very dangerous equipment every day and, because of that, we have to be pretty isolated from the rest of the base," said Tech Sgt. Jeremy Davis, NCOIC of conventional maintenance. "We are a very close-knit group, partly because of that, but mostly because we depend on each other to get our jobs done. There's no singular work here, its teamwork 100 percent of the time."

To be an ammo Airman, one must first realize what they are getting into. With bombs, missiles and flares ranging in size from handheld to twenty-feet long, it is no job for those who are not sure of their capabilities; and any ammo Airman worth their weight in salt has many capabilities.

"Once we finish tech school and get to our base, we begin on-the-job training, which includes learning every part of our career field," said Staff Sgt. Patric Senchuk, a highly-motivated, four-year staff sergeant from Alpena, Mich., who is also from the 4th EMS conventional maintenance flight. "We have to be able to be interchangeable, because depending on the day, you may need to switch shops."

Their job can begin with a request from one of the four fighter squadrons here for ammunition for a training or combat mission, a tasking to check ejection seats in aircraft, accountability reports or request for flares or ammunition. Whatever the tasking, these "pilots of the maintenance field" make sure it gets done correctly and in a timely manner.

"We've never missed a sortie," Davis said.

Taking part in such historic missions by constructing the ammunition for the aircraft that provided surveillance for Operation Noble Eagle to the first parliamentary elections in Afghanistan in several years have been defining moments for both Senchuc and Washington. They have both been identified as stand out Airmen and have had hands on every bomb (real or training) leaving the base since their arrival. True to the tradition of an ammo Airman, they do not do much bragging.

"You did a good job, here's a pat on the back, have a good weekend. That's enough for me," said Senchuk, who is no stranger to being behind the scene, as he worked as a theater technician before he joined the Air Force.

The Airmen of the conventional maintenance flight maintain their quiet cool as they continue to provide Seymour Johnson and the Air Force with on-time, on-target air power, helping America maintain air dominance. The community can rest a bit easier knowing Airmen who will probably never be recognized publically risk their lives everyday constructing munitions that just may save their lives one day.