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Vehicle maintainers keep Osan’s mission moving

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stefanie Torres
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Whether security forces Airmen are patrolling with Humvees or emergency responders are approaching the scene, their vehicles are an essential part of the mission. This is where Osan's "mechanics" come in.

Airmen in the 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Maintenance shop are responsible for the safety and readiness of roughly 1,200 government vehicles on a base where being ready to fight and win tonight is priority one.

"Our mission is to supply the vehicles that support the fighter wing," said Staff Sgt. Wardell Mayfield, 51st LRS vehicle maintenance control officer. "We turn over about 110 vehicles a week."

Although Osan is primarily a walking base, operations vehicles are essential to keep the mission moving, and with a high operations tempo, this is exactly what they do.

The shop can handle a large range of vehicles, from Humvees and trucks to bobcats. Whether it's routine maintenance such as changing the vehicle's air filter or major repairs, they support it in a bay they share with Korean maintainers.

Although the large variety of vehicles and high turnover rate in Korea can pose a challenge for the shop, the 80 Airmen assigned to the shop still make it possible.

"We have so many things going on at once," said Mayfield. "There is always an influx of new people, and most of them have to go through required training because bases don't have the same vehicles everywhere. We manage to make it work."

Another challenge vehicle maintainers face is the overseas location, said Staff Sgt. Timothy Moore, 51st LRS Government Purchase Card holder. A normal turnover rate for a vehicle that comes in for routine maintenance takes two hours with parts readily available. However, parts that need to be ordered can take to anywhere from a week to a month, said Moore.

"Since we are located overseas, it is not easy to go to certain vendors," he said. "We have to find a freight forwarder to use military air because not everyone can do that. Then we have to go search for the pieces we need. It can be difficult sometimes being so far."

But the satisfaction of knowing their job is an essential part of the mission makes up for the more difficult tasks, Mayfield said.

"The satisfaction of working on the vehicles and knowing the role they play here is worth the work," he said. "If we can't get the vehicles back to the fight, then we are not doing our job."