Life on 'the line' -- sorting the faces for places

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Leo Brown
  • 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  "Hurry up and wait" didn't rear its ugly head during the October unit training assembly's phase I, at least in a few folks' eyes.

The 442nd Fighter Wing's Citizen Airmen, working with troops from the 509th Bomb Wing, "processed 80 increments of cargo and 291 passengers on six aircraft," according to Lt. Col. Allan Slavin, 442nd Logistics Readiness Squadron's director of operations.

The numbers impressed officers, enlisted and civilians, alike.

"This is the best integration I've ever seen between the 509th Bomb Wing and the 442nd Fighter Wing," Colonel Slavin said. "A lot of members don't realize it, but the 509th owns the entire process and has the responsibility for deploying our wing. Their mobility machine, in coordination with ours, did an outstanding job."

"Everything went pretty well," said Teri Rizzolo, a civilian working with the 442nd Fighter Wing's finance office.

"The 509th headed it and we were there in support," said Ms. Rizzolo, a military pay technician, who helped process Airmen through the deployment line. "I thought it went smooth. Everyone stayed real close to the time schedule. Everyone was cooperative."

While troops were processed Oct. 4, 509th and 442nd Airmen took care of cargo concerns Oct. 3.

"It's the little details that'll get you," said Master Sgt. Mike McQuain, an aerospace ground equipment flight chief with the 442nd Maintenance Squadron. "Is the air pressure in tires correct? Are pallets straps facing the right way? Is there corrosion on the tie-down straps? If you get things like that right, a lot of times, bigger issues will take care of themselves. If you don't get the small details right, other stuff can be blown out of proportion."