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Joint Base MDL senior airman, Gadsden native, supports KC-10 maintenance efforts in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Senior Airman Alex Ragland's hometown of Gadsden, Ala., once earned the honor of "All American City." While deployed with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the senior airman said he is proud to represent his hometown and to serve in the Air Force.

"I am very proud to be in the Air Force," Airman Ragland said. "I joined to protect my home land and the people in it. I am a representation of my family and I try to display prestige in everything that I do."

Airman Ragland is a communications and navigations journeyman with the 380th EAMXS. His deployed job duties are slightly different than his career field norm. At a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia, he works as a maintenance debriefer for Airmen working on the KC-10 Extender.

"In my deployed duties, I debrief aircraft maintainers who get aircraft off the ground," said Airman Ragland, who is deployed from the 305th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "I work to ensure the maintenance forms are in compliance and things are all ready to go."

At his home station, Airman Ragland works his communications and navigations journeyman duties on the C-17 Globemaster III. His Air Force training, however, allows him to work on many different types of airframes.

According to Airman Ragland's official Air Force job description, communication and navigation Airmen are trained to advises on problems maintaining aircraft communication, navigation, cryptographic, computer and ancillary systems. They are able to use and interpret layout drawings, schematics, logic and pictorial diagrams to solve maintenance problems. They also advises on aligning and calibrating procedures to ensure optimum operating efficiency and they analyze data received from testing and troubleshooting procedures to determine necessary repair.

Communication and navigation Airmen like Airman Ragland also identify maintenance problem areas and recommend corrective action and they develop methods to improve maintenance efficiency, the job description states.

Furthermore, maintenance Airmen like Airman Ragland can also remove, install, inspect, maintain and operate aircraft avionics communication, navigation, cryptographic, computer and ancillary systems. They inspect and test systems to locate defective components or interconnections and troubleshoot and repair receivers, transmitters, digital and voice satellite communications, multiplexing, electronic switching and radar - to include Doppler, search and weather -- systems.

Airman Ragland said all of his training helps him ensure he is at his best for his deployed duties.

"Even though the debrief work is not my original career field, I am deployed specifically for debrief and it's important because we interact with the aircrews to discover discrepancies to report to maintenance so problems can be fix and sorties can be produced," Airman Ragland said.

The senior airman added that he misses his family on this deployment, but understands what he is doing is important.

"Although I leave behind a wife and a precious baby daughter on this deployment , I feel that I have performed my duties in protecting them back on home land by helping fight the war abroad," Airman Ragland said. "There are also other family members back home that keep me going each day -- my mother, grandmother, father, three sisters and my niece that I love dearly."

The 380th EAMXS is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.