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McGuire MXG Airmen named top military team in competition

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Danielle Johnson
  • 87th Air Base Wing public affairs
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  Five aircraft maintenance Airmen from McGuire AFB took top military honors at the Aircraft Maintenance Technician Society's second annual Maintenance Skills Competition in Las Vegas, Nev., March 9-12.

The team of Airmen from the 305th and 514th Maintenance Groups placed fifth overall in the competition, which is designed to showcase the skills of aircraft maintainers from every corner of the military and civilian aviation communities.

Three Air Force teams from Air Mobility Command bases McChord AFB, Wash., Dyess AFB, Texas, and McGuire competed against five-person teams from the commercial aviation industry, the Navy and the Marine Corps. The competition consisted of 12 events that tested the technicians' abilities to accomplish various tasks across a wide-spectrum of aircraft maintenance areas. Each event had a 20-minute time limit and teams were scored based on quickness and accuracy.

An added challenge was the wide variety of the events, which were geared toward the civilian sector of aircraft maintenance. Military aircraft technicians specialize in specific tasks, unlike their civilian counterparts who are "jacks of all trades", said Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Hofrichter, 514th Maintenance Group quality assurance superintendent. As team chief, Sergeant Hofrichter had the daunting task of putting together a team of Airmen that could effectively compete against the civilian competitors.

"I tried to put a team together that truly represented McGuire Air Force Base," he said. "Our goal was to put our best foot forward to represent the Air Force and showcase what the Air Force brings to the fight."

The McGuire team also captured the best time in the Flight Control Rigging event and was rewarded with four sets each of rigging blocks, turnbuckle tools and turnbuckle clamping fixtures, which the senior NCO says are "impossible to come by" and will undoubtedly benefit the aircraft repair shop.

"Team McGuire took something from nothing and showed our civilian counterparts why we are the best Air Force the world has ever seen," Sergeant Hofrichter said. "At the same time, these fine technicians showed the U.S. Navy, McChord AFB and Dyess AFB the true meaning of 'Can do!'"

The team chief credited McGuire's maintenance leadership with the team's success and thanked the members' respective units for allowing them time to practice and prepare for the competition.

"It's amazing to watch them," said Sergeant Hofrichter. "They came together from various agencies in the maintenance group to work together as a team. We have an outstanding group of maintenance folks at McGuire, and these guys are truly the cream of the crop."

The five Team McGuire members were: 

- Team Coach, Tech. Sgt. Matt Woodward, 373rd Field Training Detachment aircraft maintenance instructor 

- Team Captain, Tech. Sgt. Eric Barnhart, 305th Maintenance Operations Squadron qualification training program KC-10 jet engine instructor 

- Staff Sgt. Tyler Witte, 305th Maintenance Operations Squadron, qualification training program KC-10 communication and navigation systems instructor 

- Staff Sgt. Jason West, 305th Maintenance Group quality insurance inspector and C-17 crew chief 

- Staff Sgt. Derek Dusseau, 305th Maintenance Squadron KC-10 and C-17 structural repair technician