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Show Supplement to th Hilltop AIR FORCE RESERVE Timmt A1- - X:;: X 7' v "j.- - .:;.,'1 - & - :; xx Watchful eye SMSgt. Terry Tuckness, flightline crew chief, is all business when it comes to s. 0 . N4 r Jet doc f 1989 Air Force Gunsmoke Top Crew Chief, SSgt. Joedy Pack, gives 1 Arizona I Check and double check SSgt: Daniel Orzel, weapons maintenance team, and Sgt. Dave Moore make routine checks before an takes off. F-1- 6 "'J Editor's note: units at supports geographically separated Tinker AFB, Okla., and Luke AFB, Ariz. The 419th d TFWat Hill AFB is only of the wing's assets and people total population: 4,100 reservists This is the first of tivo articles on the and 72 944th Tactical Fighter Group at Luke and the 507th F-1-6 one-thir- F-16-s. TFG UGd dlOY7DD CDDDCCuDOClG DIiI(DDLl0C0DIlQDa5 at Tinker. by TSgt. Timothy Collins 944th TFG Public Affairs Office, Luke AFB, Ariz. Webster's dictionary defines teamwork as "cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal." This would describe the attitude and achievements of the 944th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. During the past two years, the 944th CAMS has stepped up to many accomplishments after their activation in 1987 with new They won five out of fix Gunsmoke awards, participated in numerous mobilityoperational readiness exercises, took part in several deployments and scored top honors in the 944th Tactical Fighter Group's operational readiness inspection. The 1989 Gunsmoke competition allowed the . maintainers to show their stuff. During the competition they amassed an amazing 8,901 out of a possible 9,000 points, competing against 15 of the world's best fighter and attack units from active duty, Reserve and National Guard components. CAMS won awards in the following j The 944thfirst place overall top maintenance categories: main, team, overall combat servicing, top tenance team, top 6 combat servicing and top crew chief (SSgt. Joedy Pack); second place onetime aircraft appearance inspection. "The size of the competition, the number of competitors and the chance to compete against units from around the world made this event really great," according to SSgt. Joedy Pack, top crew chief in the F-1- P Gunsmoke event. "But what made this event even better was the award, because the award is a culmination of a team effort. That includes everybody in the unit, not just the Gunsmoke members. We had a lot of cooperation and effort from the unit," Sergeant Pack added. "What this unit accomplished at Gunsmoke was fantastic," according to MSgt. Dennis Franklin, unit career adviser for the maintenance squadron. "When you take into consideration that during this competition we were also preparing for our first ORI, which can be very monotonous, the team was still able to giye that extra effort that was needed to winv , All systems are go 1989 Air Force Gunsmoke Top Gun, Capt. Pat Shay, talks with his crew chief, MSgt. Ken Mitchell. 6 F-1- 6 a going over. baby jets Sun-line- rs The 419th Tactical Fighjer Wing F-1- That shows what teamwork can do, and that's the motto of this unit," Sergeant Franklin added. Though it is the flight line personnel who sometimes get more notoriety, the weapons load crews in the 944th were also recognized as the best. "I think the reason we were so successful is because unit personnel are encouraged to think and offer suggestions," said TSgt. Mike Eckert, load standardization crew chief for the event. "If we have an idea, it gets heard, whether you're a newcomer or an established member. This helps create the pride and dedication to the job that the unit has. "Also, our munitions storage people did a great job. Because we also had our regular flying schedule and the ORI, they worked on everything and had to keep the Gunsmoke loads separate. They did it without a hitch and that made our job much easier," Sergeant Eckert added. Throughout the Gunsmoke competition, the unit d team. This is also evident worked like a in the ORI results and their everyday operations. - It is this team approach and professionalism that starts with the moment you come into the unit. "Coming from active duty I wasn't sure what to expect when I joined the unit," Sgt. Michael Holland said. "What I found is a high degree of professionalism. This unit is as good as an active duty unit and morale is great. Being a straight reservist sometime it's hard to get to know people quickly, but here they welcome you and make you feel part of the team right away," Sergeant Holland said. "Professionalism and integrity are keys here. Everybody cares about their job. The members are very knowledgeable, even in the lower skill levels,, because people are very helpful. The Rivet Work Force concept has been fully implemented here and they are constantly trying to improve," according to Sr A. Paul Saunier, an air reserve technician with maintenance. "With the standards of success this unit has set, you would think complacency might set in. But here they always are striving to do better. The team concept is stressed from top to bottom and bottom to top. That's what makes this unit great," Sergeant Saunier added. The contributions of maintenance have not been lost on the other units in the 944th. "Certainly, we feel their effort has been a big part of our success," said Lt. Col. Richard Hall, 944th TFG commander. "Their example of teamwork and dedication has carried over to the rest of the group and shows up in the accomplishments of the unit as a whole." well-traine- |