Photos and story by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, 177FW/PA

Inside the Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) shop at the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey AirNational Guard, Egg Harbor Township, are two five-foot round metal signs. On each is a hand-painted octopus and at the tip of each tentacle is a piece of ground equipment; at the one o'clock position is a jet successfully taking off.

Although the signs were done as a spoof on the ability of powered support systems mechanics to work on many projects at once, there is a truism here: that there will always be an AGE mechanic ready to lend a hand.

"Our people wear many hats in the shop, electrician, air conditioning, and heating," observed Egg Harbor Township resident Senior Master Sgt. Tom Dunn, Powered Support Systems Mechanic Supervisor and 30-year veteran with the AGE Shop. "An AGE mechanic can fix anything."

And they do. After returning from the 20-week technical school, AGE mechanics are responsible for 199 pieces of equipment at the 177th. This is broken down to 119 pieces of powered equipment, which include generators, light carts, air conditioners, heaters, hydraulic test stands, cabin leakage testers (this system tests the air pressure in the aircraft cockpits), air compressors, bomb lifts, de-icing trucks and a self-generating nitrogen cart. In addition, AGE also repairs 80 pieces of non-powered equipment. All of this equipment has various types of inspection dates, which occur on a twice-a-year basis. Add to this time compliance technical orders, which are a different type of inspection mandated by the Air Force when an accident or incident occurs. Also weather plays a factor. There is always an increase in work during the winter versus the summer; equipment, like people just does not like the cold weather. "There are two things that are part of this job. The first is that it is never the same thing day-in, day-out," noted Senior Master Sgt. Dunn. "The second is that this shop is a supervisor's dream; these people know what needs to be done and they do it."

That shows in the AGE shops in-commission rate, which has been hovering between 93 to 97 percent for the last five years, making AGE one of the highest in-commission performers on base.

Part of that has to do with the experience in the shop. There is a combination of people like Senior Master Sgt. Dunn who have been AGE their entire career and then there are the new people coming in straight from tech school or from active-duty. "At Lakenheath Air Base (in England), we worked on F-15s so we worked on the same equipment that we use at the 177th," stated Staff Sgt. Keith Elliss, Powered Support Systems Mechanic, who joined the 177th in January 2000, after five years prior service with the Air Force. "So it was very seamless when I came to the 177th."

"Everyone here has his or her specialty, Frank (Master Sgt. Camillo) is good at electronics, while Louis (Tech. Sgt. Cascione) is good at hydraulics," acknowledged Master Sgt. Watson. "When we are working and run into a problem we go to them and the others who have a knack for being able to troubleshoot in those areas."

The shop itself is not one of the smallest on base, but it is also not the largest by any stretch. There are 11 Guardsmen in the AGE shop, seven of them being full-time technicians. Prior to the terrorist attacks on the United States, the shop had one shift; now there are two. Soon the outside world will once again have an impact on the shop with four of the full-time AGE mechanics going to AEF-9. "This is the first time we are sending four people on a 30-day deployment," remarked Senior Master Sgt. Dunn. "It will put a little bit of burden on us."

Over the years there have been changes. "The biggest change occurred when we went from the F-106 to the F-16, there was a complete turnover of equipment, we did not keep any of the old equipment," said Pomona resident Master Sgt. Charles "Skip" Watson, Powered Support Equipment Mechanic. Another change has been the shop facility. It grew in the 1970's from an office, a single bay, and a covered work area to the fully enclosed workspace that is in place today. In 2005, CE is scheduled to begin renovating the shop. "We're looking forward to having some input on that project," noted Senior Master Sgt. Dunn.

Like a lot of the shops on base everyone supports each other. Out on the flightline, shop members brave the cold penetrating wind to watch one of their own rewarded. Master Sgt. Camillo, who received the Master Sgt. William G. Willey Award as the year's top senior NCO for 2000, is getting his incentive flight on the F-16D that was loaned to the wing in January. Shop members take pictures while the aircraft taxis out on to the ramp and watch the aircraft takeoff. Only then do they return to the warmth of the truck. When Master Sgt. Camillo returns, shop members cluster around him joshing him about his performance during the flight and getting the details of the experience.

This support translates into other areas. Shop members have been recognized for participatingin community building projects. Master Sgt. Watson was one of the original founders of the base Honor Guard in 1974, while Mays Landing resident Staff Sgt. Bob Lerner, an emergencymedical technician, was responsible for saving a person's life while coming to work one day.

Like the octopus in the painting, always ready to lend a hand.