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Pulling chocks, turning wrenches and marshaling aircraft. These are three things the Airmen of the 721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron cover during an average shift, 365 days a year at Ramstein.
Helping conduct missions affecting military members downrange, the 721st AMXS keeps the aircraft mission ready.
“We do aeromedical missions a lot and get to see wounded warriors come through from being deployed,” said Senior Airman Justin Kent, 721st AMXS hydraulic system journeyman.
Ramstein gives its 721st AMXS Airmen a unique opportunity to see the different parts of the mission they might not see at other bases.
“I have been here for nine months,” Kent said. “I worked back shop at my last base, so I didn’t get to see the impact of my job, because I was building breaks and actuators. Here I get to see the mission, and it just makes it a lot more rewarding. We do a lot of missions, and it feels good to be here at this base in this squadron, because I actually get to see the impact of my job. It’s an awesome feeling.”
Seeing the impact of the completed job can bring an extra sense of reward to a member doing the work. At the 721st AMXS, newer Airmen are able to complete a task they might not have been able to do as a commercial aircraft mechanic.
“I love my job. I get to see a lot of awesome things,” said Kent. “I’m a hydraulics technician, so I get to do a lot of maintenance work on the aircraft. I get to fix the aircraft, flight control systems, brake systems and landing systems. It’s a really awesome job, and I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”
Airmen and civilians in the squadron need to be able to depend on each other to get the job done. Taking the time to make sure everything is correct could be the difference between life and death for aircraft crew members and their passengers.
“Our Airmen out on the flightline are very good at checking for all the details,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jack C. Johns III, 721st AMXS Maintenance superintendent. “I know I can trust them to get the job done effectively. I’m going to work for the wing in the next couple of weeks, however, in the past 2.5 years it has been an honor to serve with the professional, hardworking Airmen in this squadron.”
For supervisors, knowing Airmen are doing their jobs safely and effectively can put them at ease. On the flip side, the Airmen need leaders that help them improve their craft. The young Airmen in the 721st AMXS have the opportunity to have their senior NCOs and NCOs out working with them.
“The NCOs and senior NCOs make the job completely easy, because they manage it and get everything prepared,” Kent said. “We know what we have to do to get the mission done correctly.”
Members of the 721st AMXS took their camaraderie to the next level when they were able to ship out one of their own when he was in need.
“We did a mission for one of our guys with cancer,” Kent said. “He had to be sent back to the states, and we got to launch him out and see him off. It was a really fulfilling mission.”
Using skill, passion for the job and togetherness, members of the 721st AMXS are able to get aircraft in and out of Ramstein to accomplish the mission.
