If you ain't ammo...

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  When people think of flightline operations, the first thing that comes to mind is airplanes taking off and landing with people marshalling them to their spots on the parking ramp. What people might think of next are crew chiefs running their checklists and inspecting aircraft. What people do not often think about are the specialized maintenance shops that are critical in keeping the jets mission-ready.

One of the shops, crucial to mission success, is the 60th Maintenance Squadron Munitions flight, commonly referred to as ammo.

"We store, inspect and maintain a $16.7 million munitions stockpile to support 31 C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and 52 wing agencies with ammunition," said Airman 1st Class Jarred Cotter, 60th MXS munitions storage crew member.

The Ammo shop directly supports the flightline with flare deliveries and pickups, said Staff Sgt. Patrick Hoffman, 60th MXS munitions storage NCO in charge. Other duties include reconciling the flightline daily to ensure each aircraft has the munitions it's supposed to have, transporting munitions for inspection and ensuring the compatibility of munitions stored in the same structure for safety.

"I have to make sure that everything we have scheduled for our shop is completed correctly, safely and in a timely manner," Hoffman said. "This includes not simply concentrating on the present, but also planning for months in advance."

The ammo shop provides important equipment to maintain aircraft safety such as flares and fire extinguisher carts.

"Without countermeasures such as flares, fire extinguisher carts and the tow severance assembly, aircraft would not be able to provide global support to our combat warriors," Cotter said.

While the mission at Travis is important to global mobility, Hoffman said it is different in a deployed location.

"Our mission here at Travis revolves primarily around supporting our aircraft with flare," he said. "However, in a deployed environment we must provide not only flare support, but bomb support as well."

The ammo shop is an important piece of what Travis does, enabling the successful completion of global mobility. Ammo Airmen constantly provide support to enhance the security and safety of aircraft, while putting their own safety at risk.

"Working with munitions is highly dangerous," Hoffman said. "Working with highly explosive munitions nearly always makes you think twice about each move you make and drives home the reasoning behind following tech orders without fail. It's much better safe than sorry."