Aircraft Hydraulic Systems
Maintenance Awards
Technical Sergeant Brian P. Bollhoeffer distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as deployed Hydraulic Systems Craftsman, 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Group, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. During this period, the professional skill, leadership and ceaseless efforts of Sergeant Bollhoeffer contributed to the effectiveness and success of Al Udeid's aircraft maintenance efforts. He skillfully supported an integrated unit of seven aircraft maintenance career fields, consisting of more than 550 personnel from 19 bases. His efforts contributed to the successful accomplishment of 5,700 combat sorties and 40,000 flight hours, which offloaded 200 million pounds of fuel to more than 20,000 coalition forces in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, INHERENT RESOLVE and FREEDOM'S SENTINEL. In addition, Sergeant Bollhoeffer's attention to detail was instrumental as he managed six multi-point refueling system aircraft, expediting 16 Time Compliance Technical Orders in less than 72 hours. Finally, he directed a time critical dash six inspection after an in-flight emergency, replacing two engine driven hydraulic pumps, and decontaminating the hydraulic system enabling two thousand B-1 bombs on target. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Bollhoeffer reflect credit upon himself, the 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.
Staff Sergeant Keith A. McMonagle distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Hydraulic Systems Craftsman, 345th Maintenance Squadron, 19th Operations Group, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. During this period, the outstanding professional skill, dedication, and ceaseless efforts of Sergeant McMonagle resulted in the performance of exceptional aircraft maintenance at home station and abroad in support of Air Force world-wide taskings. While forward deployed to the Horn of Africa, Sergeant McMonagle responded to an off runway aircraft emergency and identified a malfunctioning nose landing gear as the cause of the aircraft leaving the runway. He performed a total reconstruction of the nose landing gear, enabling a one time flight to home station. Additionaly, during an in-flight emergency with the nose landing gear, he assisted the aircrew by providing vital instructions on the manual, emergency extension of the landing gear, resulting in the safe landing and medical evacuation of 22 wounded warriors. Finally, Sergeant McMonagle was hand selected for two Pacific storm deployments and supported over 220 sensor drops and 53 sorties, enabling the collection of critical weather data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant McMonagle reflect credit upon himself, the 345th Maintenance Squadron, and the United States Air Force.
Staff Sergeant Robert P. Bowman distinguished himself by outstanding achievement while serving as an Aircraft Hydraulics Systems Craftsman, 376th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 376th Expeditionary Maintenance Group, 376th Expeditionary Wing, Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyz Republic. During this period, Sergeant Bowman served as the Lead Technician for the Aircraft Hydraulic Systems shop and led six hydraulic personnel in the correction of over 500 discrepancies, resulting in an 87 percent 12-hour fix rate, exceeding Air Mobility Command standards by 17 percent. Additionally, he troubleshot a chronic boom control issue on an active combat sortie over the Afghanistan Area of Responsibility and pinpointed the problem as faulty azimuth bearings. Moreover, Sergeant Bowman identified a faulty Main Landing Gear centering cylinder during an in-flight emergency. The cylinder was quickly replaced and the aircraft returned to the forward deployed location where it sustained a one hour response time. Finally, Sergeant Bowman performed duties as Expediter and supported over 1100 sorties, off loading over 48 million pounds of fuel to over one thousand coalition receivers and enabling 940 Troops in Contact critical impact events. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Bowman reflect credit upon himself, the 376th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.
Staff Sergeant Shane T. Nedwicke distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Aircraft Hydraulics System Craftsman, 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan. During this period, Sergeant Nedwicke supported more than 1400 Sorties and 6300 flying hours, contributing to the 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron winning the Pacific Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award. In addition, he repaired a repeat in-flight Refueling Boom elevation discrepancy by re-rigging the boom system, enabling 23 intelligence missions and 121 flight hours during the 2009 North Korean missle crisis. Further, Sergeant Nedwicke was handpicked as the Hydraulics Technician for the two week VALIANT SHIELD exercise, during which his contributions enabled six million pounds of fuel to be offloaded, 78 sorties, and 420 hours flown. Finally, while deployed in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Sergeant Nedwicke's keen eye spotted unexploded ordinance during a routine sector sweep, facilitating the quick removal of the ordinance and the continued safety of base personnel. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Nedwicke reflect credit upon himself, the 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.
Staff Sergeant Bryan L. Potts distinguished himself by outstanding achievement in the superior performance of his duties while serving as Aircraft Hydraulic Systems Craftsman, 7th Component Maintenance Squadron, 7th Maintenance Group, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. During this period, Sergeant Potts performed his duties in an outstanding manner, demonstrating unprecedented inspection ability by identifying and replacing two broken brake swage tubes, preventing the aircraft from experiencing future brake overheating and failure. Additionally, he contributed to the repair of 41 B-1 and 54 C-130 aircraft brakes, and returned over seven million dollars in serviceable assets to the Air Force supply system. Furthermore, after his vigilant analysis identified a B-1 brake failing a clearance check, he replaced the faulty rotor, saving more than seventeen thousand dollars in replacement costs. Finally, he isolated a cracked B-1 engine pump and replaced the faulty engine pump in minimal time, allowing on-time aircraft takeoff for an important software test flight. The distinctive accomplishments of Staff Sergeant Potts reflect credit upon himself, the 7th Component Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.
Senior Airman Randall T. Wentzel distinguished himself by outstanding achievement in the superior performance of his duties while serving as Hydraulics Systems Journeyman, 4th Component Maintenance Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. During this period, Airman Wentzel repaired and tested five stabilizer servo actuators, saving the wing one hundred eighty thousand dollars in exchange costs and enabling the owning aircraft to deploy on time in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Aditionally, Airman Wentzel quickly repaired a mission essential tailhook damper in twenty four hours, exceeding the twenty eight hour standard, preventing cannibalization and saving more than six thousand dollars. Finally, Airman Wentzel managed all hazardous material and Hazardous waste programs by tracking and inspecting fifty four hazardous waste items, ensuring shop compliance and safety with zero quality assurance failures. The distinctive accomplishments of Airman Wentzel reflect credit upon himself, the 4th Component Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.
Technical Sergeant Matthew J Kramer distinguished himself by meritorious service as Pacific Regional Training Center Hydraulic Systems Instructor while assigned to 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii from 20 July 2010 to 22 August 2012. During this period, Sergeant Kramer managed the development and coordination of 36 annual C-5 and C-17 aircraft ground trainer courses for 465th Air Mobility Command Pacific En Route maintenance personnel, resulting in the Regional Training Center consistently exceeding student training goals by 20 percent. In addition, he redefined tool use procedures for ground trainer classes, expanding instructors' training capability by 360 hours annually and allowing the addition of 100 training tasks to the curriculum. Finally, Sergeant Kramer's competence was validated by his selection to Air Mobility Command's Logistics Compliance Assessment Program team where he conducted 52 maintenance inspections and evaluated critical processes to help confirm receipt of the unit's overall "Outstanding" rating. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Kramer reflect great credit upon himself, the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing and the United States Air Force.
Airman First Class William D. Hugel distinguished himself by meritorious service as Aircraft Hydraulics Journeyman, 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 909th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan. During this period, Airman Hugel demonstrated outstanding technical knowledge when he identified a leaking sliding gland seal in the boom of the KC-135 and repaired the leak 1.5 hours under the standard time. Additionaly, he troubleshot a fuel transfer problem and identified the fuel bypass valve as faulty and changed the component, restoring the aircraft to Full Mission Capable status. Finally, Airman Hugel deployed to Al Udied Air Base, Qatar for 120 days, supporting 3,000 sorties, 10,000 receivers, and offloading 120 million pounds of fuel. The distinctive accomplishments of Airman Hugel reflect credit upon himself, the 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and the United States Air Force.