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Team Hickam maintaintainers put Total Force Integration on display in Guam

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nathan Allen
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  What's the difference between an active duty flying crew chief from the 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and a flying crew chief from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron?

Don't ask Staff Sgt. Justin Chaltry or Tech. Sgt. Miles Nakamura, because they wouldn't be able to tell you.

"The guard and active duty work every day together so when we get paired together to go on a mission, it's just like another day at work," said Chaltry. "We get together and do what we have to do to keep the planes flying."

"We both know what to do and how to do it," Nakamura said. "I know what he can do and he knows what I can do, so there's no problem. It's like there's no difference at all."

While both maintainers stated that they enjoy the travel, unique missions, and camaraderie that come with performing the duties of a flying crew chief, the two also agree that the ability them to keep the plane flying with little to no help is paramount.

"We go to some places where there is nobody but us to maintain the aircraft," Chaltry said. "Without us, sometimes the mission wouldn't happen at all. If the plane breaks and there's no one to fix it, we keep it going."

When it comes to considering all the things the plane can do, two emphatic words quickly come to Nakamura's mind. "It's awesome," he said, "because of what it can do. It's bigger, faster, and can do more than any other plane I've worked on in my career."

Unlike Nakamura, Chaltry is not a crew chief by trade, but he nevertheless completed all requirements necessary to fulfill the duties of a flying crew chief. Chaltry's knowledge of the C-17 Globemaster III leads him to believe in the aircraft's ability to do anything and go anywhere.

When it comes to maintaining the aircraft, both non-commissioned officers from maintenance squadrons at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, operate together as a unit; regardless of whether the plane they maintain is located at Hickam, or away. The maintainers recently put on a display of total-force-integration during an airdrop operations mission here April 5 through 10 - a showing of teamwork they say is well-rehearsed at home station.

One maintainer is from Warner Robbins, Georgia and the other Makakilo, Hawaii. One is a fan of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and the other roots for the University of Hawaii. One wears a flight suit when fulfilling the role of a FCC, and the other prefers the Airman Battle Uniform. However, when it comes to employing the skills required to keep team Hickam planes mission-ready, the two are practically indistinguishable.