BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Reserve Citizen Airmen assigned to the 707th Maintenance Squadron and 307th Medical Squadron took part in the inaugural installment of the 307th Bomb Wing’s Pro Jeaux program here, March 8.
Pro Jeaux allows Airmen from different squadrons in the 307th BW to shadow one another and learn more about their respective responsibilities. Chief Master Sgt. Jonathan Wilson, who has served in different squadrons throughout the 307th BW, came up with the program.
He started the program to help Airmen throughout the 307th BW gain an appreciation for what their peers do to accomplish the mission.
“People in the wing do great things in their every day jobs, but it can go unnoticed by others outside their squadron,” he said. “Pro Jeaux is a way to eliminate silos that can occur and expose Airmen to other career fields.”
That idea came to fruition when the 707th Maintenance Squadron invited members of the 307th Medical Squadron to shadow crew chiefs for a day. They started early in the morning, riding out to the flight line and learning as crew chiefs from the 707th MXS prepared a B-52 Stratofortress for a sortie.
“I didn’t realize how many shops actually work on the plane,” said Master Sgt. Nordyica Woodfork, the 307th MDS laboratory noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “Now, I understand what it really takes to get the job done and get the B-52 off the ground.”
Master Sgt. Keith Miner, 707th Maintenance Squadron aircraft section chief, was part of the team teaching the 307th MDS troops about life on the flight line.
“I wanted them to be able to see what our Airmen do on a daily basis and our technical expertise and how we produce airpower,” said Miner. “In maintenance, we live in a very black and white world and we put a pretty good amount of pressure on our guys to follow the rules.”
The need to do things by the book was evident for many of the 307th MDS troops watching the crew chiefs prepare the jet for takeoff.
“Before coming out here, I thought maintenance was just mechanical work,” said 1st Lt Paula Bomar, a nurse assigned to the 307th Medical Squadron. “Now I realize how precise and dangerous their job is.”
Wilson has plans to grow the program to include one event per quarter. Any squadrons interested in learning more about the program can contact him at jonathan.wilson.9@us.af.mil.