349th Civil Engineer Squadron's special vehicle maintenance team honed their skills

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Robert Wade
  • 349th Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The men and women of the Civil Engineer Squadron's special vehicle maintenance team honed their skills during the 349th Air Mobility Wing's super UTA training exercise, recently.

Heads were bent, Airmen huddle around an Air Force Technical Order; they collaborate on a way forward to ensure the vehicle maintenance is performed in a safe and efficient manner.

On this particular morning, the Airmen are tasked with the safe removal of an airbag, which is essentially a bomb with a controlled explosion.

"We are vehicle and vehicular mechanics," said Technical Sgt. Marlon Barrios-Villagran, a member of the CE special vehicle maintenance team. "We are a special group that works on special purpose vehicles and heavy equipment.

"We work on the bob-tail truck, which is considered a special purpose vehicle designed to tow flight-line equipment," Barrios-Villagran added.

The wing's weekend-long specialty skills training event engaged more than 700 Reserve Airmen in hands-on training in the wing's core missions of moving passengers and cargo, generating sorties, fixing aircraft, defending the base and providing high-quality medical care. This cost-saving training event fostered communication between units and enhanced esprit de corps.