Kunsan hosts pen-wide weapons load competition

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Divine Cox
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Afffairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea-- --  The Wolf Pack hosted the 2015 peninsula-wide weapons load crew competition at Kunsan AB, April 25.

The competition had six teams representing the 35th and 80th Aircraft Maintenance Units, the 120th Expeditionary AMU, ROKAF's 38 Maintenance Squadron, and the 36th and 25th AMUs from Osan AB.

"There's a lot of effort that goes into training these crews every day," said Master Sgt. Adam Wright, 8th Maintenance Group weapons standardization superintendent. "These weapons loaders keep us ready to fight tonight and I'm very proud of their accomplishments."

"From the moment I said 'crew attention, ready, break,' I knew it was going to be a tough competition," continued Wright. "There's a lot of pride in the weapons community, and not one team wanted to lose this competition."

The three-man teams were judged on their reliability, technical proficiency, time and ability to safely load two munitions on the jets. Each team started with 2,000 points, and depending on performance points were added or taken away.

"I have participated in three load competitions since I've been here," said Senior Airman Yuri McMurray, 80th AMU, load crew member. "This event is the most important because if you win, you get crowned the best load crew on the peninsula."

Not only does the competition allow for training, but it also fosters friendly rivalries between units. More than 500 U.S and ROK Airmen showed up to cheer on their team.

"This was my first time seeing a load competition," said William McCoy, 8th Security Forces Squadron patrolman. "The event was definitely a morale booster for everyone in attendance."  

When the bull horn sounded, the competition started. The crews rushed to their respective positions and begin their loading procedures.

"As soon as I heard that horn sound, my nervousness started to kick in," said McMurray. "My blood was pumping throughout the entire competition."

Each team finished loading their respective aircraft, embraced their fellow weapons Airmen and waited while the evaluators scored the units. Once the scores were tallied, the ROKAF 38th MXS team's  precision, reliability and safety trumped the speed showcased by other units.

"I know every team did their best in representing their respective units," said Master Sgt. Jung Woo Min, 38th MXS load crew team chief. "I am very proud of team 111 for winning this competition."