MAI- Maidens (Read 727 times)

You can never tell who is going to be an Ace technician, average, or poor. Its attitude and how well the trainer teaches and lets the 3-level experance the work.

Many of my 3-level training days were spent sitting on the launch truck. A job would dispatch us to an aircraft and the jet engine shop truck would show; then the technicians would just tell me to get back on the launch truck with my took box.

This went on for several weeks to maybe a month. To pass the time I'd take my Career Development Course (CDC's) on the launch truck with me. I completed my 6 CDC books in only a month. Took the end of course test and passed with high marks.

My next move was to ask to see the shop chief. I did and told him of my CDC progress and being basically jailed in the launch truck except for lunch break.

The following week I was off the launch truck and taken on every single job given to the flightline engine section. I seemed to excell very well and the shop chief kept tabs on me. Next thing I knew is I was in his office being told I was given a waiver to get my 5 level awarded early in 1/2 the time. Then as a two striper I was sent to engine run school and took my final test in the flight simulator and did it all perfect. I was given a waiver to operate jet engines as an airman - a task reserved for NCO's.

My reporting offical/OJT instructor was a great guy and I am greatful for his assistance and training.

Here's to the great trainers and their 3 levels.
:yellow-beer :salute

Interesting. Sounds like the squeeky wheel worked everywhere. I started out in the squadron on the FDT crew doing 45 and 90 checks on mid shift. The work wasn't bad since most times the jet would fly during the afternoon and get pulled into the hanger and setup on swings. Mids did most of the alignments. But I missed the sun and asked if I could get off the shift. Next thing I know I'm in Job Control and heading to Chanute as one of the first students in their new Job Control school. Graduated, came back AND STILL ENDED UP ON MID SHIFT! It was two more years before I saw the sun again.

Excellent approach Sarge. Take two Buds out of petty cash.

:yellow-beer

Right out of high school my daughter joined the USAF Reserves. She was a honor roll student all through school. Got A’s in most everything except math and that was usually a B.
She used to help me around the property and in the garage work on vehicles. I knew that whatever she did she would do it very well.

Her Mom and I took her down the USAFR recruiter and she was looking at being a chaplains assistant as she was always very active and involved in our Church and youth programs. For several years I was a Sunday school teacher and our Church’s Youth Minister. She was basically my assistant.

The USAFR recruiter said there was no chaplains assistant position available. I think they might all have been active duty slots. So, guess what her second choice was? Go ahead and try to guess.


I was caught by surprise when she spoke up and said, “I’ll be a C-17 Jet Engine Technician”. The recruiter was very happy as the C-17 was new at McChord AFB and they need C-17 Engine mechanic’s bad. So bad that there was a $7,000 bonus if you went into that. If you did all your required UTA’s each year you got a $1,000 extra each year for 7 years. She did not know that until after she picked it.

Well, I was a Jet Engine Technician and I tried to talk her out of it. I told her, “It sounds great but wait until its zero dark thirty in the morning and you are under a jet engine and break loose a jet fuel line and the cold jet fuel runs down your arm, it won’t feel good then.” She made her choice and was happy with it and she was following in her Dad’s foot-steps, so what more could I say?

She had heard me talk about it her whole life including: the travel, excitement, dangers, engine runs, and the bonds between people in the aircraft maintenance career field. Dad had taken the family too many air shows and at one air show when I was the Flightline Production Superintendent she rode around with me in my maintenance supervision truck. I used to once in awhile take my kids to work with me in the evening. The sights, sounds, and smells of the aircraft flightline got into her blood. She once mentioned that did have an effect on her. The base beacon rotating, runyway/taxiway lights, ramp’s floodlights, aircraft lights, maintenance vehicle lights, and the activity of all types of aircraft taxing around and taking off was a great environment to be in. It impressed her.

October of 1999 she graduated basic training at Lackland AFB (same as Dad). She went to jet engine tech school at Sheppard AFB, TX and was a yellow rope leader just like Dad.. (My Tech school was at Chanute where my Dad was discharged after WWII – my dad was also assigned to Sheppard Field during WWII) After completing tech school she of course went to the reserve squadron at McChord AFB (I was assigned to McChord twice). She has followed in Dad’s and her Grandpa’s paths.

She was not happy with just being around one weekend a month and sought after man-hours (Its activation duty time). She was activated almost from the start and continued seeking out activation orders. After the attacks on 9/11 it was very easy to get extra man-hours or activation orders.

One day a Boeing Factory Rep was at the base with a new C-17 and doing some training on the engines. I’m hoping I get this correct. Two people were picked to open engine cowlings. One was my daughter and the other a MSgt. After the cowlings were opened the Thrust Reversers (TR) would be opened on number 2 and 3 engines. My daughter opened her set of cowlings and the MSgt did his. When the thrust reversers were deployed something flew off the engine the MSgt opened and bounced a crossed the ramp. It turned out to be a cowling door latch. The factory rep asked why the other engine’s cowling latch did not fly off and my daughter spoke up and said something like, I knew the TR was going to be opened and it looked like it would catch the cowling latch so I safety-wired it up out of the way. That’s my girl – attention to detail, just like I taught my kids. I guess the years helping me in the garage paid off.

My daughter married a young active duty Sgt and the sometime after that along came a 1 year civil service job so she applied. Out of all the applicants she was picked. Her extra years of taking active duty orders got her the job performance, experenance, and time needed. This was a position in Inspection dock doing engine inspections, servicing, and backline checks. Its pay was $44,000 for the year.
About ½ way through the year the boss of her section said to her, “I just noticed in your records that your maiden name is Price, by any chance is your Dad’s name Gary Price, MSgt., Retired?” “Yes he’s my Dad”, was her reply.

I’ve worked with most of those guys and it was nice that she got that job without anyone knowing she was my daughter.
It wasn’t long after that the USAFR promoted her to TSgt. She is currently awaiting MSgt. Her husband just was promoted to TSgt.

She has constantly been on active duty orders right after tech school in late 1999 up and until now. Only during the one year civil service job and the 6 months just before and after her daughter was born did she not be on orders. She has just declined a set of orders as she is finely taking a vacation and coming home from the east coast for her 10 year High School Reunion and wants to spend the summer with Mom and Dad.

In 3 months she is going back on orders and deploying to Turkey for 60 days. I think she should have went active duty when it was offered to her several years back. Then in 10 more years she could retire along with her husband.
Both her and her husband deployed to the gulf zone 5 days after they were married. That is where they spent their honeymoon. Such dedication and sacrifice.

She has recently run into some difficulity and discussed it with me. She never had problems at McChord AFB, but at this new base and assignment while on active duty orders the reservers are trying to control her also. When the reservers heard the active duty supervisor gave her two extra days off for working extra days the reserves sad no you have to take offical leave. She was to receive an active duty award at a military function and the active duty gave her that day off as it was her normal shift. Again the reserves said no, take offical leave. Onother time there was jet engine work to do and the reserves would not let her do it but made her help clean and vacum out a C-17 to help a crew chief.
Getting off track here, this should be a seperate thread.
Like the bible says, it's not possible to serve two masters!
When you are on active duty orders and assigned to the active duty you should be accountable and controled by the active duty supervison.
When doing reserve duty weekends you are under the control of the reserves. What the hell is the military coming to? They can't even follow normal and establisted principles of supervison and span of control.
It's the 'good old boys club" filled with old time reserveist that have set at one base 25 years and built themselve anempire and think they are Lords and Gods.
They just want to make life miserable for outstanding hard-working troops.
You show me a reservist "weekend warrior" that has time and experance measured in years instead of weekends.

No the USAFR does not have line numbers. The reserves hand out stripes after enough time and weekend UTA's are completed. Then the stripes go to whoever they want them to go to.
My daughter has a full ten years of working experance on the flightline. Not ten years of just weekend duty. She also did one weekend a month reserve UTA duty along with Monday - Friday working active duty orders and has served in the gulf war zone. With all that, it matters not. They can give the stripe to a nobody who spent most of their time flipping hamburgers at Reserve Squadron Picnics and working in the office one weekend a month.

The problem here is that many of the higher ups resent reservists like my daughter that work super hard, learn allot, and get highly qualified very fast. It makes the rest of the reservist look bad.

She is not your average reservists.

This is the math.
Average reservist one weekend a month for a year = 24 days
That same average reservists in ten years does = 240 days.

My daugher has the same 240 days
Her active duty orders gives her and average 21 extra work days a month and times that by ten (10) years is 2520 days.

So you add the 240 UTA reserve days to the 2520 active duty days and your grand total is 2772 days
Plus 45 days serving in the gulf war zone.

Now which TSgt should get the stripe?
The one with 240 days
or
The one with 2770 days with 45 of them in the war zone.

It likely will be the troop they like best with the brownest nose.