The “backshops” of the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron in Southwest Asia routinely fabricate custom aircraft parts or other equipment when those components are needed quickly or are no longer produced by the manufacturer. SrA. Erik Hofmeyer reports that the aircraft structural maintenance and metals technology technicians of the 379th bend and wrap the metal that covers deployed aircraft, but they also can make metal parts for just about anything, provided they have a sample. (Last fall, we covered similar work performed by airmen of the 332nd EMXS at Balad AB, Iraq.)
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.