Whether it’s for a matter of life and death or a routine mission, 64th Expeditionary Helicopter Maintenance Unit troops keep their combat search and rescue helicopters ready. The unit’s more than 30 Airmen never stop working to maintain and repair the HH-60G Pave Low helicopters that fly from their base.

"The big thing is to stay on top of it and make sure (the aircraft) flies," said Tech. Sgt. Shaun Roberts, an electro-environmental craftsman. His main job is to fix the electrical systems in the aircraft and troubleshoot when necessary.

"I'm responsible for anything that has a wire in it," he said. "It can be time-consuming and sometimes difficult. But the priority is to fix it and launch on time."

Launching on time hasn't been an issue for the unit.

"We have met all alert takeoff commitments with ease," unit expediter Tech. Sgt. Kevin Pizzino said. “And every bird has made its mission." Sergeant Pizzino credits that feat to teamwork and the team’s professionalism.

"We have great camaraderie between operations and maintenance," he said. "It's a very good group and overall we mix very well together."

The fact that people on this rotation have less experience than most hasn't hindered the mission, Sergeant Pizzino said.

"We have a lot of first-termers who have done very well for us," he said. Helicopter crew chief Senior Airman Jesse Rivas aid the end result is well worth all the hard work.

"It's a good feeling to see what you put together fly," he said. "But the greatest accomplishment is knowing that my aircraft has saved somebody's life." [ANN Salutes Tech. Sgt. Pamela Anderson, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs]

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