Yokota Airmen win Knuckle Buster Award at Rodeo 2009

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kimberly Spinner
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Members of the 374th Airlift Wing returned home July 28 with the Knuckle Buster Award they earned at the 2009 Air Mobility Command Rodeo at McChord Air Force Base, Wash.
More than 100 teams and 2,500 people from the Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, as well as allied nations, participated in the event.

"The Knuckle Buster was the only maintenance award that all 43 (maintenance) teams competed for," said Capt. Al Martz, 374th Maintenance Squadron maintenance operations officer.

The award recognized the maintenance team that displayed the highest standards of professionalism, dedication and mutual respect for their competitors.

"One of the biggest assists... we gave to Dyess (Air Force Base) was Staff Sergeant Lou Johnson, one of our engine troops, (who) went over there for six hours and helped them change an engine," said Captain Martz. "(It) was probably the most significant maintenance event that took place while we were there."

The team had a rocky start, according to the captain. They started the competition with a broken plane and didn't have the aerospace and ground equipment needed to complete the repairs. By working with other crews, the Yokota team was able to complete the repairs and keep the aircraft mission ready.

"It was really a total team effort," he said. "It was the hard work, the way we performed our work, and the team player roll that we played that got us recognized."

The six-day event was an international competition which focused on readiness, airdrops, aerial refueling and other events which showcased the capabilities of military security forces, aerial port, maintenance and aeromedical evacuation personnel.