DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Civic leaders from communities surrounding Air Force Sustainment Center bases converged on the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as part of an AFSC Civic Leader Program base tour in May.
The trip offered members a chance to see how the 309th AMARG supports the sustainment of aircraft in the Air Force through storage, reclamation and depot maintenance.
“It is so much more than a boneyard,” said Mary Blankenship Pointer, senior vice president of Frontier State Bank in Oklahoma City. “This trip will help me be a better advocate for the Sustainment Center by giving me a better understanding of how AMARG helps us stay war ready and action prepared.”
Attendees received a briefing by Col. Neil Aurelio, commander of the group, before embarking on a bus tour of the facility.
“Our CLP members are leaders in their own right,” said Lt. Gen. Stacey Hawkins, commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center. “They are a tremendous asset. We learn from them as they learn from us about what we do. They take that knowledge to our stakeholders and amplify our message in an impactful way. We appreciate all they do for AFSC and are glad we could give them first-hand knowledge of the important work that happens at AMARG.”
Discussions during the tour included the reclamation process, workforce development and AFSC’s role in strategic competition.
While on the tour, civic leaders were able to visit the three hangers on site, the depot maintenance pavilion, the storage yard and the packing and shipping facility, where custom boxes and shipping materials are created and used to send various parts around the world.
Hawkins, along with CLP participant Dr. Bryan Foulk, had the opportunity to don protective gear to try their hand at applying the coating used to seal the aircraft. When a part or an aircraft is called back into service, this coating can be peeled away, revealing the well-preserved item.
“This was especially meaningful to me,” said Blankenship Pointer. “As I strolled through the area, I saw the following message ‘Peace is our Profession.’ Those words stuck with me, and I will remember the phrase for the rest of my life.”
The Air Force Sustainment Center is one of six centers in the Air Force Materiel Command. It prepares the Air Force’s most sophisticated weapons systems for future competition. AFSC relies on the people and processes to produce to our promise of providing sustainment and logistics readiness; depot level maintenance; supply chain management and operations; and installation support.