Snow Barn maintainers keep the plows rolling

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tong Duong
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Snow blanketing the base is a sure sign of the changing weather. While its fluffy white appearance is seemingly harmless in nature, it can wreak havoc on the Wolf Pack mission.

It is up to the six-man team of the 8th Logistic Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance section to ensure a steady fleet of snow removal vehicles for the 8th Civil Engineer Squadron is ready to do their jobs.

"When the snow starts coming down, CE pavement shop's Dirt Boyz plow the streets and sweep the snow off the runways, housing and buildings," said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Boyd, 8th LRS vehicle maintainer. "The vehicle maintenance snow barn section is the team that ensures their vehicles are running."

Fabricating new hydraulic hoses to repair or replace parts on 25-ton, snow-removal vehicles keeps the small shop busy, but they do get help during their busiest season.

"We maintain 28 pieces of snow removal equipment the 8th CES uses to keep the mission rolling and our shop swells from three to six during the winter to help with the increase in demand." said Tech. Sgt. Joseph Campbell, NCO in charge of the snow barn.

Some jobs can take less than five minutes to fix or more than a year due to parts availability.

"It can be a challenge when it comes to getting certain parts to fix the snow vehicles," Campbell said. "The aircraft maintenance units have priority, so some of our parts are sitting at the port of entry or it keeps getting bumped."

While some vehicles are awaiting parts, others are having their emissions equipment repaired or alternators replaced. Vehicle maintainers like Airman 1st Class Jered France, 8th LRS technician, are up to the challenge.

"I like vehicle maintenance," France said. "Prior to the military, I worked with my dad who is a vehicle mechanic and we fabricated and welded stuff, so it comes naturally."