Mobility Airman profile: Joint Base Lewis-McChord NCO supports vehicle maintenance ops in Kyrgyzstan

Published May 17, 2011
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Tech. Sgt. Alex Butler is NCO in charge of vehicle maintenance deployed with the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan.

Sergeant Butler is deployed from the 627th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and his hometown is Denver, Colo.

As a vehicle maintainer, Sergeant Butler performs vehicle maintenance activities on military and commercial design general purpose vehicles and equipment, according to the Air Force job description for the vehicle maintenance career field. "Activities include inspection, diagnostics, repair and rebuild of components and assemblies."

Sergeant Butler also determines the serviceability of vehicle systems, assemblies or subassemblies and the need for repair, the job description states. He is trained to analyze malfunctions by visual and auditory examination, or through the use of test equipment. He can also repair, adjust, overhaul or replaces major assemblies or subassemblies such as engine mechanical, electrical, air-conditioning, fuel, emission, power train, brake, steering and suspension systems.

Vehicle maintenance Airmen like Sergeant Butler are also trained to remove and disassemble gasoline or diesel engines and components. They also repair components by replacing worn or damaged parts with new or reconditioned parts and they reassemble, adjust and test repaired units for proper operation.

Furthermore, the job description shows vehicle maintenance Airmen perform preventive and special maintenance. They use technical publications to maintain vehicles to prescribed manufactures' maintenance schedules and they perform special inspections and maintenance on vehicles requiring corrosion control, storage, shipment and winterization. They also annotate all maintenance performed on prescribed forms for data collection purposes.

At his home station, Sergeant Butler's unit -- the 627th LRS -- is part of the 62nd Airlift Wing. According to the 62nd AW fact sheet, the wing "is part of Air Mobility Command and provides the Department of Defense a fast, flexible and responsive airlift capability. The 62nd Airlift Wing, together with its Reserve associate wing, the 446th Airlift Wing, provides a large part of Air Mobility Command's Global Reach airlift capability. This adaptable and reactive air mobility promotes stability in regions by keeping America's competency and character highly visible. The wing's tasking requirements range from supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas."

The 376th AEW has mobility aircraft such as the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster III assigned. Both airframes there support operations for Operation Enduring Freedom daily and throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The Transit Center at Manas was activated in December 2001 when coalition forces deployed to Manas International Airport and began supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the 376th AEW fact sheet states. The base continues to promote regional stability in Central Asia.

(Staff Sgt. Stacy Moless, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this report.)