|
Minutes from the Pisa International Airport and the city of
Livorno, Italy, tucked away in a stretch of woodland, sits the
largest stockpile of conventional munitions within U.S. Air Forces
in Europe.
At any moment, the 731st Munitions Squadron at
Camp Darby must be able to supply a multitude of munitions to U.S.
and NATO bases. Fortunately, the 731st MUNS has a unique framework
of a dozen career fields to help provide the means to take the fight
to the enemy.
|
November 30, 2017 - Precision guidance munitions crew chief Airmen
from the 731st Munitions Squadron set up and inspect a munitions
stand at Camp Darby, Italy. Inspections are performed on a regular
basis to ensure munitions are serviceable and able to be shipped. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cary Smith)
|
Embedded within the squadron are aerospace ground
equipment Airmen, vehicle maintenance technicians, finance
personnel, communications, and even medical technicians.
These sections work with the ammo troops to ensure Darby
is capable and ready to provide firepower to support USAFE,
or any combatant commander lucky enough to receive their
aid.
If an order comes through to
Darby, ammo troop Airmen will ready shipping containers, but
to do so requires the help from other sections in their
squadron, such as aerospace ground equipment.
“As
AGE, we’re normally in a maintenance flight, but here at
Darby, we’re directly plugged in with the 731st,” said Tech.
Sgt. Philip Tunstall, 731st MUNS AGE section chief. “We
provide the ammo troops with power generators, lights,
heating and air equipment; pretty much any and everything.”
When munitions are shipped from Darby, Tunstall works
closely with the inspection and munitions maintenance
sections to power the test and maintenance equipment and to
pressure wash the shipping containers.
“Before any
missiles can ship, the containers must be absolutely clean
inside and out,” said Tunstall. “We recently received two
more pressure washers that stand six feet tall and more than
10 feet long, so we can now increase our mission capability
for large orders.”
During shipments, vehicles receive
the brunt of wear and tear because Airmen travel around to
the many bunkers housing stockpiles of munitions. Instead of
working in a logistics readiness squadron, the vehicle
maintenance crew at Darby are assigned to the 731st MUNS.
“We maintain Darby’s fleet of vehicles, including
several forklifts and semi-trucks that we help certify
Airmen to operate,” said Staff Sgt. William Peters, 731st
MUNS ground transportation training and validation
non-commissioned officer in charge.
The vehicle
maintenance crew gathers their tools and follows the
munitions storage section Airmen during large munitions
shipments. If any vehicles were to break down, the crew
could provide repairs on the spot.
Working in a
geographically-separated unit doesn't just require
well-oiled equipment—Airmen need tune ups as well. Tech.
Sgt. Leslie Charles and Brett Randall, 731st MUNS
independent duty medical technicians, are responsible for
handling all the medical needs of Darby's personnel.
“As IDMTs, we’re typically attached to small units, but with
as many Airmen as there are here, we handle everything under
the sun,” said Charles. “A typical week includes everything
from pharmacy to water testing to minor trauma accidents.
Sometimes we have to be creative with how we provide help
with the resources we have.”
Charles said during hers
and Randall’s careers as IDMTs, they’ve used a wire shower
shelf with towels and duct tape to splint a broken leg,
turned an IV bag into heat and ice packs, and made a patient
litter out of uniform tops and mop handles.
This
support to the mission could not happen without a budget.
All the contracted civilian employees, deliveries, equipment
purchases, and transportation fees are finalized by one
finance Airman.
“Here at Darby, I do all things
finance from helping an Airman with issues in their paycheck
to briefing the commander on fiscal budgets,” said Tech.
Sgt. Otis Smith, 731st MUNS financial manager. “My job here
is very unique, and requires me to be proactive, not
reactive; sometimes digging into maintenance technical
orders or instructions to better understand our budget and
what equipment we need.”
Smith sees himself as the
glue that helps hold the mission together, providing support
in a wide range of duties to a large group of personnel.
“We are a big family here with an open door policy to
help each other out. Everyone has to do their part and take
up several responsibilities to complete the mission,” said
Smith. “Every day I come in and my job requires something
different from me, makes me learn something new, and I love
that.”
The 731st MUNS will continue to band together
and maintain their munitions, readying USAFE's largest
stockpile for the next outload. Airmen and allies alike can
rest assured Darby's team is there, making sure USAFE has
combat-capable firepower ready to boom whenever, wherever.
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cary Smith
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
Comment on this article |
