Command chief receives AGE immersion

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Matthew Plew
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England --  After spending 15 of his 29 years of service in both the maintenance and operations groups, Chief Master Sergeant David O'Hara, 48th Fighter Wing command chief, isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty. When the opportunity arose for him to turn wrenches and get greasy with the Airmen of the 2015 Aerospace Ground Equipment Maintenance flight of the year, he didn't pass it up. 

Hydraulic test stands, diesel generators, gas turbine generators, air conditioning units, heaters, jacks, maintenance stands, nitrogen carts, lights; this is only a fraction of the equipment the AGE flight provides to support the F-15E Strike Eagles and HH-60G Pave Hawks here as well as transient aircraft. AGE is also responsible for 568 pieces of equipment and averages 3,000 equipment dispatches, 160 maintenance actions and 100 periodic and phase inspections every month.

Senior Airman Kevin Acevedo Nuñez, 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, AGE Maintenance journeyman, greeted O'Hara and briefed him on AGE operations and procedures. As they walked from station to station, the Chief shook hands and spoke with numerous EMS Airmen. O'Hara was then escorted to a personalized locker labeled with his name, which contained a set of steel-toed boots and custom coveralls.

"AGE is the heart of the flightline," said Acevedo Nuñez.  "And as we say it, there's no air power without ground power!"

Once suited up and with a little assistance from Senior Airman Jorge Mata, 48th EMS, AGE Maintenance Bomblift section journeyman, O'Hara got straight to work on the brake caliper system of a munitions handling unit, followed by an in-depth look of equipment delivery process on the flightline in concert with other 48th FW ground operations.

"As a command chief, or any level chief for that matter, you get lots of ceremony time," O'Hara said. "And don't get me wrong, ceremonies are important and have their place.  However, the thing we don't get enough of, and it's the thing we love most, is working with our Airmen and seeing firsthand what they do to make our mission happen."

At the conclusion of his visit, Chief O'Hara gathered the AGE flight together to express his thanks and pass on words of appreciation for all their hard work.

"I couldn't have been more impressed with our young maintainers," O'Hara said. "After a day with you, it's obvious to me that you are proud of your jobs, and love executing your part of our vital mission. I can clearly see why our Maintenance Group received so many accolades this year.  With Airmen like you doing the job, recognition is going to come in loads.  I had a great day working with you, and I'm proud to call myself, your chief."

In January of 2016, the AGE flight completed an initiative from Headquarters Air Force Materials Command to "Right Size" its fleet.  This initiative required bases across the Air Force to identify redundant and underutilized equipment and redistribute it to bases with mobility shortfalls. During that process, the Liberty AGE flight identified 139 pieces of excess equipment and processed them for turn-in; eliminating approximately 350 inspections and recouping about 2,000 man-hours per year; increasing ground equipment maintenance quality and overall enhancement of the 48th Fighter Wing mission.