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10 SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2005 12 12 THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC LIFEatLUKE LUKE AIR FORCE BASE AND OTHER MILITARY NEWS Airman 1st Class Edwin Carter, a student, gives hand signals to the pilot to tell him when Photos by Michael Arizona Republic he can shut down the engine of the plane. Program graduates 'Mission Ready Airman' Crew chiefs train at Luke A Luke Air Force Base program to train F-16 fighter crew chiefs the mechanical experts who keep military planes flying was scheduled to reach a milestone Friday, graduating its student. That student was one of a class of eight seven men and one woman willing to take on the exacting but often unheralded task of keeping F-16s in top shape. "No one knows what we do until we don't do it," quipped Master Sgt. Greg Fenger, the production superintendent of the crew-chief school, called the Mission Ready Airman program.

Luke provides 20 days of hands-on, or "hot," training for crew-chief students who have already had 71 days of book instruction training) at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. A graduate becomes an assistant crew chief and works under a dedicated crew chief. An assistant needs at least 36 months of experience to become a dedicated crew chief. The Luke training includes constant safety reminders, because the work can be risky. Those working around a jet warplane can be burned by hot exhaust gases, sucked into the air intake or banged by moving flight controls.

Tech Sgt. David Wynia, an instructor supervisor, said the students who get to Luke have shown an outstanding aptitude for mechanics. What they may lack is the confidence that they can handle the real-life action of checking out and caring for fighters. Mission Ready Airman in- By Charles Kelly The Arizona Republic Airman 1st Class Ravon McGuire hopes someday to fly F-16s. HERE HERE Airman 1st Class Chris Knippers checks an F-16 that just landed, before the engine is turned off.

structors are willing to work long hours to get students over that roadblock, he said. "We really go a pretty good mile to try to make sure they have that confidence," Wynia said. Luke's instructors got high ratings from two graduating students, Airman Bruce Smith, 22, from Crossett, and Airman 1st Class Ravon McGuire, 18, of Monona, Iowa. "They're cool," said McGuire, a former nurse's aide. She said the technical aspects of her work and the airplanes she works on appeal to her.

"I like mechanics and I like fighter jets, and I want to fly (fighter jets) someday," she said. Smith, a machinist in civilian life, said taking care of the jets is a perfect match for him. "I like doing maintenance. I've always liked aircraft," he said. "This was about the best thing I could do." Instructors Tech Sgt.

David Wynia (left) and Master Sgt. Greg Fenger look over an engine used for instruction. TURNS, IT HAPPEN! 'Crew Dawgs' The "Crew Dawgs" patch was designed by an instructor at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It symbolizes the spirit of crew chiefs, who like to say that without them, pilots would be pedestrians. SERVICE STORY SERVICE STORY 790 MILITARY Herb Hanson spent seven months as a POW.

Knowing German helped prisoner Scottsdale resident Herb Hanson, 82, served in World War II in the U.S. Army's 701st Tank Battalion attached to Gen. George Patton's Second Armored Division in north Africa and Europe. A native of Fairfield, he did desert tank training in Arizona. Hanson fought in Normandy and took part in the liberation of Paris in August 1944.

He was captured the following month by German forces outside Paris and held as a prisoner of war for seven months. During his imprisonment, he was able to use the German he had learned in a language class while attending high school in Connecticut. "After the liberation of Paris, we were on our way to the 'Bulge' (the Ardennes) when we were captured. My tank had been hit by artillery and I lost two crew, but I managed to save three men. We were captured and taken on a forced march of 50 to 75 miles to a POW camp in Suttorf, Germany.

"While there, a female German officer beat me with her riding crop and stole my high school graduation watch. I swore I would kill her if I ever ran into her again. Never saw her from then on. "When we finally got to Hannover, Germany, there were about 30 of us tankers who were held in a converted warehouse. Since Hannover is and was a major industrial center, we were constantly bombed by the U.S.

and British air forces. That was our biggest fear. "Once the German commandant noted that I spoke German, he decided that I would be his liaison for the group and delegated me to assign certain jobs to our members: latrine, KP and other menial tasks. "That didn't go over too well a 21-year-old PFC giving orders to "After two direct hits on our camp and a dozen deaths, plus wounded, I persuaded the commandant that he was fighting a lost cause." Herb Hanson A crew chief co-ordinates all the care of an airplane, checking to see if there are problems with, among other things, the engine, the hydraulics, the tires, the system for supplying liquid oxygen (which pilots utilize to breathe at high altitudes), avionics, ejection seats or weapons systems. If something needs repairing, the crew chief calls on a specialist to get it fixed.

As a mark of pride and personal responsibility, names of the crew chief and the assistant crew chief are painted on the plane they care for. Keeping a plane flying is satisfying, Fenger and Wynia said. Teaching someone else to keep a plane flying also has its rewards, they said. The best reward, they said, is witnessing a future crew chief suddenly grasp a concept. Fenger and Wynia call it seeing "the light bulb come on." Training crew chiefs Some facts about Luke Air Force Base's program to train F-16 crew chiefs: The Mission Ready Airman program at Luke falls under the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

training for crew chiefs (71 days) is done at Sheppard, and hands-on training (20 days) is done at Luke. I Luke trains all F-16 fighter crew chiefs for the Air Force. Training includes tire servicing, aircraft inspections, aircraft servicing and aircraft launch and recovery, fiscal 1994, the first year of the program at Luke, 15 people graduated. Fiscal 2002 saw the highest number of graduates, 948. Airman 1st Class Kevin Nugeut goes over a written checklist of what must be done after a plane lands.

sergeants and officers. Most of the time we had no problem, as I simply tried the best I could to let them know I wanted out as much as they did and the fact that I spoke German was just some good luck. "The Germans treated us fairly well in giving us medical attention. In my case, I had broken ribs and hip damage from the attack on my tank. The food was the same as what they fed their.

troops. Bunk beds and reasonable toilet facilities were available. "In March of '45, it was obvious that the U.S. troops were getting close, what with artillery pounding the earth and bombing and close-up mortar fire. After two direct hits on our camp and a dozen deaths, plus wounded, I persuaded the commandant that he was fighting a lost cause.

Finally, he and I held a bedsheet in the air. and walked through the lines on April 12, 1945, my 22nd birthday, ending my POW time. "I will never forget his name Geralder Verngar since he was an OK guy and gave me his First Class Iron Cross. "That same day the radio announced the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In the hospital, I received decorations along with several other patients.

My Silver Star citation, states I saved three crewmen by evacuating them from my tank and 'defiantly hurled a hand grenade back at the enemy which had been thrown toward his I also received a Purple Heart and a POW medal." Share your 'Service story' If you're a veteran, an active-duty member of the armed services, a current or former civilian worker or a family member, share your anecdotes of military life with Life at Luke. E-mail your memories to republic.com, along with a photo of yourself, or mail them to Life at Luke, Arizona Republic Arrowhead Bureau, 17235 N. 75th Suite A-100, Glendale, AZ 85308-0884. Get in touch with 'Life at Luke' "Life at Luke" is a weekly page covering Luke Air Force Base, Arizona's other military facilities, plus topics of interest to service personnel, family members and veterans. If you have a tip or story idea, please send it to or contact editor Vinton Supplee at vinton.supplee@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-6922 or reporter David Madrid at david.madrid@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-6926.

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