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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hill top 8 TIME S February 5, 2015 Active-duty and reserve Airmen face off to be named weapons load crew of the year By 1ST LT. KAYLEE AUSBUN 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE 4 Airmen in the 421st Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the 466th AMU will compete in a weapons load competition in Hangar 37 here at 8 a.m. Feb. 13 to determine which unit will be named "Weapons Load Crew of the Year." The 421st, an active-duty squadron under the 388th Fighter Wing, and the 466th, a reserve squadron under the 419th Fighter Wing will go headto-head in the first-ever weapons load competition featuring active-duty Airmen versus their reserve counterparts here at Hill. "This year is unique since the 419th won the fourth-quarter competition," said Tech Sgt. Arthur Trachte, 388th Maintenance Group Loading Standardization crew member. "They are competing for the first time in this year's annual competition, whereas we typically see a crew from the 4th and a crew from the 421st." In order to compete for the title, crew members must first qualify and win at one of the four quarterly weapons load competitions, and that, according to Trachte, is decided by each crew's quality assurance checks. "We hold monthly proficiency tests to test their ability to meet 100 percent quality assurance; however, the assessments don't stop there; they can also be tested outside of the set, once-a-month checks," said Trachte. "If they surpass the required time limit to load the weapons or have a safety violation, they are automatically out of that quarter's competition." This particular competition will test the teams' ability to load one air-toground missile and one air-intercept missile, which averages a total load time of 45 minutes. "Because these Airmen are the best of the best, we expect them to load the weapons in half of the required time," said Trachte. "So each team should be able to finish in approximately 25 minutes." The history of weapons loading competitions in the Air Force dates back before the Korean War, and this history is not lost in the motivation to compete to become the best. "We are continuing a proud tradition," said Trachte. "From prepping to loading to seeing our weapons reach their final destination as part of the overall mission 4 it's all part of the tradition." As the real-world mission continues to deploy Airmen all over the globe, Trachte said it is important to continue the drive to not only be able to do the job, but to do it with a sense of urgency while maintaining a high level of proficiency. "We need them to be the most dependable people when they are deployed," said Trachte. "These competitions are crucial because they are put through rigorous training. This is their chance to showcase their abilities and be rewarded for doing well." The winning team will be recognized at the Maintenance Professionals of the Year award ceremony. The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings maintain a classic association as a Total Force Integrated unit, meaning 419th FW personnel operate and maintain F-16s alongside the active-duty 388th FW. CUTRUBUS MITSUBISHI LOAD TEAMS MITSUBISHI MOTORS From the 466th AMU: Weapons Load Crew Chief Tech. Sgt. Bryan Wicker Weapons Load Crew Member #2 Tech. Sgt. Michael Young Weapons Load Crew Member #3 Senior Airman Johnathan Thorsted DRIVE NEW From the 421st AMU: Weapons Load Crew Chief Staff Sgt. Zachary Rubinstein Weapons Load Crew Member #2 Senior Airman Maris Carabajal Weapons Load Crew Member #3 Senior Airman Maria Ramirez Ask about our $500 MILITARY DISCOUNT and our 10 yr. 100,000 Mile Warranty! From the 421st AMU: 2015 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE DE Lease for only I Weapons Load Crew Chief Senior Airman Christopher White Weapons Load Crew Member #2 Airman 1st Class Gabriel Rey Weapons Load Crew Member #3 Airman 1st Class Rhaymark Neri TRANSMISSON PER MO. *24-month lease, 12,000 miles/year $2198 due at signing mt MITSUBISHI MIRAGE Built For Living: *Taxes, license, registration not included, OAC 2015 LANCER ES CVT TRANSMISSION ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO In this 2014 photo, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, addresses a crowd during a rally at the Western Republican Leadership Conference, in Sandy, Utah. Issues From 1 of military spending. The two also discussed the need to improve procedures for acquiring and improving new systems, specifically relating to the F-35 program, with Lee commenting he was impressed with Carter's knowledge of how the program affects Hill AFB. "When we started talking about the F-35, it became immediately clear that he is aware of the fact that we are going to have 72 F-35s based at Hill AFB, and he understands the importance of making our acquisitions more efficient and having the proper lifecycle management for weapons," Lee said, indicating that Carter is familiar with these issues, having served as the undersecretary of defense from 2009 to 2011. "Carter is familiar with these dynamics and under- stands that when you put in a new system like this, we need to make sure we have enough maintainers in place," Lee said, referring to the fact that up to 70 percent of lifecycle costs associated with the system comes post-acquisition. Lee asked Carter about the growing threat of ISIS and the instability in Syria. "He understands this is a high priority to the American people and Congress, and he assured me this is one of the first things he will dig into if he is confirmed," Lee said. As the conversation concluded, Lee asked Carter about the National Guard and reserve units in regard to their strategic importance in helping the military be ready for combat. "He seemed to agree with me that they play an important role and commented that he has seen a high degree of preparedness and professionalism in our National Guard and reserve units," Lee said. 2015 OUTLANDER SPORT ES 2WD CVT TRANS. Lease for only *36-month lease, 12,000 miles/year $2988 due at signing q Lease for $1 R *PER ISi PER MO. 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