TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A Tyndall Air Force Base Airman from the 325th Maintenance Squadron displayed his daily duties to the 325th Fighter Wing commander, here, July 17, 2019.
As part of the Airman Shadow Program, U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Thomas Knight, 325th MXS stockpile surveillance crew chief, showcased part of the munitions flight mission to Col. Brian Laidlaw, 325th FW commander.
“This is a great experience,” Knight said. “Col. Laidlaw actually shows that he cares about the Airmen and wants to come down and see what we’re doing, what we’re going through and if there is anything we need to accomplish the mission.”
Tyndall’s ammo troops handle, inspect, store and transport munitions and weapons systems across the installation to ensure lethality and mission readiness.
In a job where almost everything around is designed to go bang or boom, safety is paramount. Anyone walking into ammo territory is met by a safety brief before they can go any further and for Laidlaw was no exception.
The commander was able to go to different buildings and experience safety and security protocols first hand. As the stewards of Tyndall’s munitions, the munitions flight must have everything accounted for.
They picked up TNT and blast caps at different locations, safely strapping the boxes on to a flatbed for transport to the inspection bay. Every day, different lots of munitions are inspected to make sure all munitions are in proper working order—ready to be employed.
“Air Force people are responsible for the success of our mission," said Laidlaw. "We have some of the best and most highly trained people in the world. People like A1C Knight are the cornerstone of Team Tyndall.”