Munitions Flight lives by Air Force core values

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  "Provide first-class, reliable munitions and munitions support to the flightline and the wing...while taking care of our people and developing combat-ready Air Force professionals." 

The above statement isn't an overly idealistic slogan or a collection of words that sound great. It is the mission statement of 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Munitions Flight. 

"The heart of our mission is taking care of our customers, our personnel and our community," said Capt. Kurt Umlauf, 56th EMS Munitions Flight commander. 

The statistics of what the munitions flight provide shows how seriously they take their mission. 

"Our flight lives by these words," said Senior Master Sgt. David McCoy, 56th EMS Munitions Flight chief. "Luke has the Air Education and Training Command's largest munitions account with a peak stockpile of $63 million on a yearly basis, which is more than all AETC bases combined. We support six Air Force and two foreign military training squadrons with 28,000 practice bombs, 1,000 live bombs, 320 guided bombs, 1,700 2.75 inch rockets and 220,000 rounds of 20 millimeter ammunition per year." 

However, great achievements don't happen without good personnel. 

"The credit for mission accomplishment really goes to the Airmen, NCOs and civilians who order, inspect, deliver and maintain the munitions assets required to meet the daily flying syllabus," Sergeant McCoy said. 

As is common with other Air Force units, the munitions flight has accomplished their mission, even though the workload has increased and there are fewer people, by employing Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century principles. 

"The munitions flight consolidated the chaff and flare module turn-around process into a single event daily, down from two or three times a day," Sergeant McCoy said. "Man hours expended were reduced by half, eliminating stopping periods of a 30-step process." 

Also, the process of providing the correct munitions for each sortie continued to flow smoothly. 

"We provided munitions to train 400 combat-ready pilots to fly 30,000 sorties for the Air Force and 4,000 sorties for foreign flying squadrons," said Master Sgt. Ben Odom, 56th EMS Munitions Flight materiel supervisor. 

Although the workload has remained fairly constant, deployments have increased, according to Sergeant McCoy. 

What's more, continuous professional training is vital to maintain a first-class operation.
"Munitions is a career field, which requires continuous classroom and on-the-job training," said 1st Lt. Jason Sams, 56th EMS Munitions Flight assistant commander. 
"Everyone coming into the munitions flight must complete the basic six-week course at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. 

"It is a classroom course, which concentrates on regulations and types of ammunition and bombs," he said. "Upon completion of the basic course, an Airman goes to the duty station for OJT training, which includes career development courses. This training enables Airman to earn a 5-level. It's back to Sheppard for 7-level training. There are also several specialty schools such as the wartime scenario school conducted at Beale AFB, Calif. We have had 28 students join our flight this past year." 

The munitions flight's professionalism and commitment doesn't end with the workday. It is an ongoing process. 

"Our flight is more than bombs and bullets," said Master Sgt. Derrick Johnson, 56th EMS Munitions Flight assistant chief. "We feel we have a commitment to Luke and the community at large. In October, we will be in charge of the deployed spouses' dinner. Our community activities include sponsoring a room at the Ronald McDonald House. Our personnel remodeled a room and provided new furniture and linens. We took care of all of the costs." 

The munitions flight also is involved with the Adopt-a-Highway program. 

"Members of our flight pick up litter over a one mile strip of Northern Avenue in Glendale once a quarter," Sergeant Odom said. "We have a lot of pride in our community, and we show it by helping improve its appearance."