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Load crews go wrench to wrench

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Gutierrez
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Weapons load crews from the 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron’s three units competed in an F-16CM Viper training exercise at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, Oct. 7.

The units competed in front of a crowd of spectators for the third quarter Weapons Load Crew of the Quarter Award to see who could most accurately and safely load the aircraft in a given amount of time.

The 55th Aircraft Maintenance Unit load crew involved Tech. Sgt. Mitchell Baker, Airman 1st Class Tylan Armstrong and Airman 1st Class Ryan Copeland. The 77th AMU load crew was represented by Staff Sgt. Demetrious Motos, Airman 1st Class Shelbi Campbell and Senior Airman Josef Thompson. Last but not least, the 79th AMU load crew was comprised of Staff Sgt. Christopher Whitten and Senior Airmen Levi Brady and Shana Salmon.

“The competition gives the crews a chance to be proficient and reliable across the board,” said Tech. Sgt. Jamal Brown, a 20th AMS loading standardization crew member. “When they deploy, it gives the crews a sense of knowing they can load any of the munitions and they will be 100% proficient across the board.”

The load crews represent the best job performance in their respective units.

After approximately 40 minutes of work, the teams were subject to the adjudicators and their subsequent evaluations. The judges analyzed each part of the operation down to the minute detail and selected a winner.

The 55th AMU won the quarterly award and earned a golden ticket to move on to the upcoming Weapons Load Crew of the Year competition.

“It’s awesome to get out here with the community and get recognition,” said Tech. Sgt. Mitchell Baker, a 55th AMU load crew member. “I always look forward to these, my guys work hard all year long.”