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315 AW: airshow ready, mission capable

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shane Ellis
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Joint Base Charleston, S.C. --  Reservist from the 315th Airlift Wing here delivered 50,000 lbs. of cargo, along with a combined team of 50 Airmen and contractors from the 325th Maintenance Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. March 16, 2012.

The Charleston Reservists were scheduled to participate in the Marine Corps Air Station Airshow at MCAS Yuma, Ariz., March 17, 2012, and they welcomed the Key West mission as an opportunity to hone their mission readiness skills while en route to the airshow.

With the airshow just one day away the crew alerted at 5:45 a.m., they worked an 18 hour day, and they arrived at MCAS Yuma shortly before midnight March 16. The long hours tested the skills of the pilots, loadmasters and flying crew chief, which all performed flawlessly and contributed to the success of the mission.

Each mission has its challenges, and the biggest challenges of the day came when the 315 AW team landed the C-17 Globemaster III at Naval Air Station Key West: the aircraft was full of cargo, the cargo had to be offloaded, and resources for offloading the aircraft were limited.

Without hesitation the Reserve crew joined forces, and they winched, pushed, towed and pulled the cargo off the aircraft. The combined efforts of the pilots, loadmasters and a flying crew chief made it possible for the aircraft to arrive on time for the airshow at MCAS Yuma.

The team's cohesiveness was a great example of the U.S. Air Force core values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.

"This is what we do, and this is how we work when we are deployed," said Master Sgt. Michael O'Brien, 701st Airlift Squadron loadmaster. "We utilize our skills everyday downrange, and missions like this help keep us prepared for any misison we are tasked to complete."