Best-of-the-best from 62nd MXG work to wow Rodeo judges

Published June 22, 2007
By Capt. Suzanne Ovel
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Editor's note: This is the third in a four part series of articles highlighting McChord's Rodeo 2007 competitors.

For months now, they've been devising their plan on just how to best awe their opponents.

The first step was to hunt for the most exceptional maintainers in the 62nd Maintenance Group.

Out of nearly 1200 Airmen in the group, only 18 were selected as primary and alternate members of the 62nd MXG Rodeo team.

The Rodeo team's leadership scrutinized all aspects of their performance history, including quality assurance evaluations and physical fitness scores.

"Professionally, they just stand out.

They have a high reputation, they do the right things, they know what they need to do, and they don't have to be told that," said Master Sgt. Ben Cruz, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the 62nd MXG Rodeo team.

He's helping to lead the team to excel in Rodeo's maintenance competitions, which includes preflight inspections, post-flight/home station inspections, fuel-servicing operations and daily operations such as launch and recovery.

Sergeant Cruz, who also competed in Rodeo 2000, is driving his team to be flawless.

"Rodeo is our everyday job just heightened ... the microscope is magnified 100 times," said the 20-year veteran. "It can be as little as a pebble in the cargo department for [foreign object debris] to a fray in the seatbelt."

To this end of attaining perfection, the maintenance Rodeo team members spend much of their 12-hour days continuously going over the inspections they'll be graded on.

They check each other's work and also get assistance from the group's quality assurance experts when they inspect the team's performance, said Rodeo competitor Tech. Sgt. Ronald Robinette.

However, all of the team's finely tuned technical expertise needed to be matched by a top-notch aircraft, so potential aircraft went through "auditions" to be a part of the competition.

The 62nd MXG Rodeo team scoured McChord's inventory of 50 C-17 Globemaster IIIs to find the most reliable jet, and since they found it, they won't let it out of their sight -- on the five missions it's gone on in the past two months someone from the Rodeo team has gone with it.

And in the same way that their jet, a 2003 model, stays air-worthy through routine flying and maintenance, the Rodeo team members must maintain their physical fitness as well.

The team pulls 35-pound tires, lifts weights and runs 'suicide sprints' five days a week, said Staff Sgt. T.J. Grover.

The team works out for physical fitness and to be physically intimidating to other teams.

"I want us all standing out there and just looking big, bad and ugly," said 1st Lt. John Barry, officer in charge of the 62nd MXG Rodeo team.

Whether the key is awing their opponents or just being better at their jobs, the 62nd MXG Rodeo team plans to win.

"I have no doubt in my mind that we will take the trophy home," Lieutenant Barry said.