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Show NEWS Oct. 25, 1991 H.!hop Times 7 Y rV' f ...-- , I J ' ! " " ' '- t- -' -:r: I, VN ( - t " es o iiome os top ' " " ; le I ..,-- '1 Fighter unit ' by TSgt. George A. Bedsaul 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs They trained! They practiced! They worked hard in the heat of the competition! During Gunsmoke '91 the 388th Fighter Wing proved they are the best active-dutfighter unit in y the world. Gunsmoke is the U.S. Air Force's worldwide fighter gunnery meet held every two years at Nellis AFB, Nev. The most recent one was Oct. Although the 388th placed third overall, it was first among active-dutparticipants. The winner was the 175th Tactical Fighter Group, Maryland Air National Guard unit. Second went to the 944th Tactical Fighter Group, an Air Force Reserve unit from Luke AFB, Ariz. Hill's 419th Tactical Fighter Wing is the parent wing for the 944th. "I'm extremely proud of what these guys have accomplished," said Col. Michael Navarro, 388th Fighter Wing commander. "We were in ninth place the second day of the competition and they battled their way back to finish highest of any active duty 6-1- 9. y ' U-X-- - Vv U.S. Air Force Photos by SSgt. Morvin Krouie and TSgt. George Bedsaul Check it out Gunsmoke judge, front, checks out the handiwork of Sgt. Edward Medina and the other Gunsmoke weapons loaders after the static load. A unit." "The maintenance team was superb at Gunsmoke," added Capt. Larry Gatti, maintenance team "I would willingly go to another this same team. Everyone in the with competition 388th can be proud of them." "We learned also that our training plan was valid," said Lt. Col. James Corrigan, competition team leader. "We set specific objectives during training for Gunsmoke. We met those training goals. "During the competition none of the aircraft failed or required more than minor adjustments after each day's flying," he said. "The two other teams just posted outstanding scores throughout the meet." Gunsmoke '91 did provide valuable training to the officer-in-charg- w 1 - , V-'- " (0 , competitors. "The judges looked for little things we may have ;. v. Teamwork Above, members of the 388th maintenance team use muscle power to move their boxes as they are removed from the aircraft pallet. At right, Capt. his aircraft after the comStan Colgate pre-fligh- ts petition integrated combat turn. ' Easy does it Sgt. William Fletcher, SSgt. Timothy Wright and Sgt. Edward Medina (on the jammer) load a inert bomb during the static load competition. A judge looks on. 500-poun- d e. r "" overlooked," said SrA. Bill Snyder. "We had to really dig in the books for some things to avoid getting written up. We learned a lot in the process." Each day after the aircraft returned from their missions, dedicated crew chiefs and assistants poured through the technical orders to locate part numbers. Some competitors learned about other jobs while at Gunsmoke '91. SrA. Nathen Allen, egress technician, works on the ejection seat and canopy systems. One of the good points about the competition for him was the chance to work with the other people on the aircraft. "I learned about refueling, about the liquid oxygen and nitrogen on the aircraft," Allen said. He also participated in cleaning and preparing for the air- craft appearance judging. Corrigan said members of the 388th FW provided fantastic support throughout Gunsmoke. "The support by all the members of the 388th kept us pumped up through the entire competition," he said. "I don't think we would have placed among the top teams without knowing the entire wing was behind us." 388th wins 12th AF Daedalian Award The 388th Fighter Wing has the best maintenance program in the 12th Air Force, according to the Daedalian Award Committee who visited the wing Oct. 8 for an inspection. The 388th will now represent 12th Air Force in further competition at Tactical Air Command. "Selection for this award is tough' said Col. Frank Prewitt, deputy com- mander for maintenance. "But after they examined our records and saw the various programs we developed during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, they were impressed." He continued, "This is the first time since 1988 that we have been nominated by 12th Air Force for this award" The Maj. Gen. Clements McMullen Memorial Daedalian Weapon Sys- tems Maintenance Trophy is awarded to the Air Force unit with the best maintenance program. Although the award's primary focus is on maintenance, all aspects of quality of life are considered for each competing unit. "It's the total quality of life that sets the 388th apart from many of the other units competing," said 1st Lt. Tish Robinson, executive officer to the deputy commander for maintenance. In the 12th Air Force competition for the award, the 388th beat the 37th Fighter Wing based at Tonopah, Nev., the other finalist for the nomination to TAC. |