Forum: Introduce Yourself

A little introduction first is in order.

My name is Wilson. Right now I am assigned to wonderful (sarcasm) Misawa AB, but I’m in Iraq. If you know your history, yeah we are the first Block 50 F-16s here in Balad. I have been a crew chief since June, 2000. I first started off at the 61st FS (latter 61st AMU after the reorg.) Luke AFB. I have spent about three years waving my hands in the air at pilots, them ignoring were I marshal them to park. I needed a slight change and not wanting to go to Korea, I requested to PSC to Misawa.

Now don’t get me wrong, Misawa is a good base but the location could be a little better, well the weather anyways. But yes the 14th AMU is the unit I am at, and for just about four years we have been kicking the 13th’s a$$ in just about everything Very Happy

. For two years I was on the line with a short brake as the APG training monitor. For a long time I had a love-hate relation ship with being a crew chief, but right after I just started loving my job I get the knife to the back. Yeah that’s right I get put in support.

Well now… I’m the guy people just forget about, especially after our supervision changes around. So now, when I PCS out of Misawa I would have been back here for two years. I have about five months left and I’m planning to take a month after I leave Balad. So what is the point of pulling me back to the line if it will take me a month to get the paper work done to leave Misawa and take a month to my MTF done again, I’ll have two to three weeks left dedicated to the line.

So all and all, I’m a no nothing 7 level and I try do keep current with what knowledge I still have left. I hope that my next assignment is a PHAS job or a heavy maintenance position, probably more than likely I’ll be at the line on swing shift.

I’m the type of guy that likes to do things just to see what kind of reaction I’ll get. Some people think I’m wired but f**k them. If I ask a stupid question it just might be because I forgot or I just wondering what kind of reaction I’ll get. So please just humor me (in more ways than one)

Thanks for your time!

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So what's your question? Or did you just wanna vent?

I think he's venting........we all need to do that from time to time.

I'd want to vent if I was sent to support. Hang in there, hope things change for you.

I'm

for you... Evil or Very Mad

While you're there, don't exclude yourself from the opportunities you have. Outside work- are you getting some schooling in? You will have to work twice as hard to get time for that when you make it to the flightline. As for in work- just because you're not turning wrenches doesn't mean you can't be making yourself a better 7 level. How much interaction are you getting with the supply folks, if they share your space? Every base I've been at, they do. Take the chance to learn what they do, what goes into their job, and what you as a maintainer can do to make things flow smoothly. Does your squadron have a HAZMAT guy, and do they share the support area? Again, get with them and see what you can learn about how all that works. Ditto for TODO. If you sit there and say "I'm a crew chief, I don't need to know about all that stuff" then re-read your CDC's, and check out some of the things in your 623's that most people just get pencil-whipped. You will see a good bit of supply, hazmat, and TO-related things in there. Try to be the guy that knows his sh*t, from wrenching to supply to safety. Plus, something to think about: Are you going to be a crew chief forever? If so, think about how much more you will accomplish as the pro super that has a background in all those areas, and how that knowledge can make life better for your troops. If you aren't planning on making it a career, then hazmat/supply/safety related skills will go a long way on your resume. The moral- make the best of what seems like a bad situation.

Nah… I’m not venting. It is just how I feel. We have been crapped on to many times.

What functions I perform back here other than the counter, is that I’m the TODA for the largest account in Misawa, I have over 1830 TOs, JG, CL, LCL, LJG, CPINS. Not blowing my horn or anything, but I’m some what of a TO god! Razz

I have been helping out were ever I can when it comes fault isolation, and other crew chiefy type things.

I am also on the emergency response team for HAZMAT spills for the AMXS. I have been through 40 hours of the HASWOPER class.

I have worked a little with supply but not much. They have their own office that is attached to ours.

I have taken a couple of classes but I had to stop. I had to hit hard and heavy on paper work to get married and then her immigration paper work. Then three months after getting married and moving on base I had to do more paper work after we had our first born. When I leave Iraq I will be taking another class or two.

I have also been sticking my nose in regulations and other TOs and have been proving a few people wrong on a few things that we don’t have to do anymore.

You know in my older days Support was where we sent our screw ups and lazy POS'es, it was pretty well known if you worked Support you were just a JAFO.

However, as you indicated, in the late 80's and early 90's that depiction of folks assigned in the Support arena sure changed fast as they became the life blood for Squadron,s and AMU's for such areas as Tool issue, PMEL Equipment and Accounts, Tech Data, Supply issues even to include our Pre-Positioning of Deployment Kits, even some of our local AGE was pre-positioned outside our Support area for ease of access.

Yes, the days of hiding and not being missed are long gone (good thing too) because each member of the squadron is an asset, you are to be commented, glad your keeping the squadron going, all those functions are just as important as "crewing" as a matter of fact, I think a rotation would be a learning experience for many in that area.

Good on ya...hang tough buddy

Quote:

I think a rotation would be a learning experience for many in that area.

Now that I'm out it sounds like a good idea. Wink

but to echo your sentaments, I agree, I looked to those guys in support on more than one occasion to put me on the right path for parts, T.O.'s and the such. As much as you may hate it there and feel degraded by such and assignment, you're very much needed and appreciated, even if you dont hear it enough Thumb

P.S. never was assigned there.

Neither did I but there was a time I thought I had been given a worse assignment. When I got to RAF Lakenheath, U.K. right after Nam (Jul 72), I was still on a medical waiver (which was almost expired) from Nam.

I was assigned as a F4 Crew Chief and had just completed my in-processing medical appointment (it was required since I received my assignment while I was still under physical therapy - long story). Anyway, until I was taken off that waiver and passed certain physical requirements, I was assigned...get this, to Non-Powered AGE for 90 days.

I had to built, repair and service Oil Carts, Hydraulic Carts, 50 gallon Oxygen Carts, N2 Servicing Carts, built "Stands" ...until I could prove I could run, lift weight and squat again. Man, it felt like I had gone to hell because I had been njured in Nam. It was almost like being punished (but I knew that was not the case).

That too (Non-Powered AGE) was a place where screw ups were sent and did I hear crap about it until the guys in the squadron got to know me and discovered why I had been assigned there for that period of time.

It was terrible back then, kiss of death almost, from "CC" to third wiper in one easy lesson. Man, I worked my butt off to try and get past that waiver fast, I hated that "temp assignment". In about two months (too long), my back was fine, my leg completely healed, knee worked great.

I was twenty years old and felt great now but it took a bit of time getting back that way but I will NEVER forget Non-Powered AGE. Man, I felt terrible to be assigned there, it was skate city sometimes, others times, I worked my butt off but never wanted to do that again.

I had been blown up badly in a rocket attack, busted my back, hole in my leg, dicked up knee, hole in my neck, eight months of therapy (some say I still need it ) Smile

But soon, I was back "crewing" and loved it, never looked back at Non-Powered AGE again, in some cases I think SUPPORT would have been "cake" compared to that but who knows, I never pulled Support either.

As Production and Maintenance Superintendent, I learned a whole new appreciation for those folks and their talent's.

Wow hook, you really did have it hard.

Well it looked like I upset some one so this is going to be my last post on this subject.

To clear things up a little, yeah I have a low opinion of myself but I deal with it. I’m a goof-ball at times to get a laugh with some guys at work (who doesn’t?). I don’t do anything dangerous or to screw things up on purpose. If I’m in a position that I don’t like I still do the best I can do. Why? Because it is the right thing to do and I always try to do the right thing. Sorry if I upset anyone.

Have a good one everyone!

Very Happy

Try not to worry about the repercussions of Support too much. I've seen first hand what happens when an AMU assigns a screw-up to the TODA position. The whole AMU falls flat in no time. That absolutely doesn't sound like the case with you.

Also, as crazy as it sounds, being a TODA opens up a lot of doors for you. QA being one of them. But, your experience goes way beyond this. The managerial skills that you obtain from being a TODA will definitely transfer over into civilian life.

Try to think of this not as a negative, but as a positive. Even if all you pull from it is a wider perspective, like Meathook appears to have from his time in non-powered AGE, then that's still a good thing. You now know that not everyone who gets put into Support is a screw-up or JAFO. With all of the downsizing in the AF, we can't afford those types of people even in support.

That's just my opinion, as someone who got non-vol'ed into support upon arriving at a new station a few years ago. I used the opportunity to prove myself and move into QA as the assistant TODO for the Wing. Not too bad for a SSgt....

Blue skies are what you make of them...

Roger that and events like I described sure gave me a different attitude and brought me back down to earth for awhile, made me understand all positions supporting flightline activities are important and I hope that is what you took from my story because I meant it in a good way.

Forum: Introduce Yourself

Crew chief working in SUPPORT!