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Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Airman, Wilson native, keeps KC-10s flying for Southwest Asia missions

Senior Airman Justin Lassiter is a KC-10 Extender aerospace propulsion journeyman deployed with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. Here he is pictured on Jan. 31, 2010. His primary mission is to fix and maintain KC-10 aircraft engines and systems. He is on his third deployment with the 380th EAMXS. Airman Lassiter is deployed from the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and his hometown is Wilson, N.C. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol/Released)

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Airman, Wilson native, keeps KC-10s flying for Southwest Asia missions

Senior Airman Justin Lassiter, KC-10 Extender aerospace propulsion journeyman deployed with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, looks over the engine of a KC-10 at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. His primary mission is to fix and maintain KC-10 aircraft engines and systems. He is on his third deployment with the 380th EAMXS. Airman Lassiter is deployed from the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and his hometown is Wilson, N.C. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol/Released)

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Airman, Wilson native, keeps KC-10s flying for Southwest Asia missions

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Airman keeps KC-10s flying for Southwest Asia missions

Published Feb. 23, 2010
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- On each KC-10 Extender, there are three General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofan engines that can provide up to 52,500 pounds of thrust each. For each of those engines to be in peak operating capacity for combat air refueling missions, it takes people like Senior Airman Justin Lassiter to maintain them.

Airman Lassiter, a KC-10 aerospace propulsion journeyman deployed with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia, has a primary mission to fix and maintain KC-10 aircraft engines and systems. He is on his third deployment with the 380th EAMXS and said he's glad to do his best to support the deployed mission.

"Deploying makes me feel good about what I do every day and helps me appreciate the freedoms I have at home," said Airman Lassiter, who is deployed from the 605th AMXS at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Airman Lassiter's Air Force specialty job description shows he must be able to advise, perform troubleshooting and determine repair procedures on aircraft engines. He also must be able to diagnose and repair malfunctions using technical publications and solve maintenance problems by studying drawings, wiring and schematic diagrams and technical instructions. Additionally, he has to analyze operating characteristics of aircraft engines and inspect, certify and approve completed maintenance actions.

Doing all the maintenance tasks he has to do take considerable time and effort, Airman Lassiter said. However, he said he knows the importance of what the KC-10 provides in air refueling efforts from this base supporting missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and Operation Enduring Freedom.

"The aircraft I work on refuels other aircraft directly supporting troops on the ground in places like Afghanistan," the senior airman said. "If the aircraft engines I work on and maintain don't work properly, the aircraft won't be able to fly and do its mission. Our team of maintainers makes sure that is never a problem and we strive every day to make sure our planes meet their mission capabilities."

The two-and-a-half-year Air Force veteran also said he's proud to be serving in the military. "In general, serving is awesome," he said. "I like traveling, networking and learning new things. I've been able to do that while serving in the military and deploying."

As he continues his Air Force career, Airman Lassiter said he wants to complete an overseas tour of duty and earn a college degree in engineering. Most of all, he said he wants to "continue to grow as a person."

The 380th EAMXS is a unit assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The 380th AEW is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.