SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- From repairing broken headlights to maintaining emergency vehicles, the 20th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance flight knows how to fix it right.
The flight of about 40 maintainers is responsible for around 400 vehicles on Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, with a total worth of more than $30 million.
2nd Lt. Matthew Zollmann, 20th LRS VMF flight commander, said they accomplish a lot, mentioning the various vehicles they maintain for the 20th Fighter Wing. The vehicles the VMF is responsible for include emergency vehicles, refueling trucks, and flatbed trucks used for transporting aircraft parts, which are all critical to the mission.
In 2014, the 20th LRS received the annual Air Combat Command’s Daedalian Award, also known as the Maj. Gen. Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Award, for achieving the best supply effectiveness record in support of mission aircraft and weapons in the Air Force.
Although the award recognized the VMF as an outstanding unit, their impact on the base is a crucial factor to effectively accomplishing the mission.
Staff Sgt. Cody Lee McDonald, 20th LRS VMF vehicle maintenance journeyman, has been an Air Force vehicle maintainer for seven years. McDonald conducts inspections and quality checks and also responds to mobile calls from broken down vehicles.
“We provide everybody on base the ability to do their job,” said McDonald. “We take pride in what we do fixing vehicles, we do it right so that people have their vehicles to do the mission.”
The flight contributes to the 20th FW mission by keeping the vehicles on base fully mission capable. As a result of staying true to their unit chant and “fixin’ it right”, the VMF helps Team Shaw continue to fly, fight, and win.