Deployed maintainers return damaged aircraft to combat operations

by Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

hits the fan, we've got to be ready to go."And ready to go they were when recently a C-130J Super Hercules landed at a remote forward operating base in Afghanistan."It was so damaged that we couldn't save it and get it flying again," said Hartley. "So we assisted in the salvage operations."Hartley and his team were able to recover 250 components totaling more than $20 million retrieving items ranging from engines and propellers to avionics equipment and other electrical items."Those avionics boxes can cost anywhere from $100,000 to more than $1 million," he said. "So we were able to get it all boxed up and shipped home, effectively saving the Air Force millions of dollars."Long days aside, the mission wasn't easy."During our time there, the base sustained a number of indirect fire hits," said Hartley. "The particular FOB we were at is a high-threat area getting mortar attacks every other day."The aircraft still had nearly 3,500 pounds of fuel on board, making it vitally important to maintain situational awareness."It was scary," Hartley said. "We actually dug a fox hole and when the alarms sounded, we'd hit the deck running."ABDR is a sticky business, but someone has to respond, repair and get Air Force jets combat ready in the war time environment."This ABDR unit is the only major package for the entire U.S. Central Command area of responsibility," said Hartley. "It's a huge obligation, but we're definitely here and eager to help. We repair jets to get them back in the fight. I mean, how cool is that?"

Survival tip for deployed moms on Mother's Day

I stumbled upon this article as I was reading through the news today and found it very good reading. Hope you like it as well!Commentary by Capt. Natassia CherneAir Forces Centrral Public Affairs5/8/2013 - UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia -- I told myself to be strong. I told myself that tears won't change the fact that I was leaving my son for six months. Moments later, my husband pulled up to the airport for the final goodbye, but the Hoover dam couldn't hold back my tears or drown out the sound of my sobs. My head told me to get it together, I was in uniform, but heart was having none of it. How was I going to survive being away?This is my second deployment, but my first as a mother. I love my husband, but the love for my child is nothing I have ever experienced. Thoughts of holding him in my arms for the first time, and hearing him laugh, swarm my mind every day.I often hear, "at least you have Skype or Face Time," but I'm a selfish mommy. I want to hold my baby, kiss him and watch him sleep. When I would go away for two weeks, it felt like a lifetime; six months feels like eternity. And to think, I'm one of the lucky ones, it could have been a year away.I dealt with leaving by taking time off work, enjoying every moment with him, and by eating a lot of chocolate, but once I got to my undisclosed location, chocolate couldn't turn my attitude around.My second week deployed was my breaking point. I walked into my friend's office and totally broke down. She closed the door and tried to talk me down. We talked about how she was dealing with being away from her son, when she gave me some great advice.She said that when she's home, she is a mom 100 percent of the time. There isn't a moment that goes by that she isn't getting her child ready for school or taking him to practice. What she doesn't get is time to herself. Time away is hard, but time away means a little more me time.Here's my survival tip, you can't fight time or make it go quicker. All you can do is embrace the time you have for yourself.Read that book you always get interrupted reading. Sleep into the middle of the afternoon on the weekend, because when you go home, let's be honest, it won't happen again. Go to the gym, try yoga, or treat yourself to pedicure or a massage. For once, enjoy the time you have for you, without feeling guilty about it or worrying about what the kids need.There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of my son. When I talk to him, every part of me aches to bring him close, hold him and show him how much I love him, but I can't pretend that my deployment isn't happening. Being in the military is a calling, one I'm proud to answer. Others may call embracing time away selfishness ... I just call it survival.Happy Mother's Day to the all the mothers out there; especially, my deployed sisters in arms.