Photo By Staff Sgt. Renee Crugnale | U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. David Marciel, a crew chief with the 142nd Fighter Wing,...... read more read more
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142nd Fighter Wing crew chief uses Sentry Savannah 2021 to pass knowledge gained from 36 years of Air Force experience
By Staff Sgt. Renee Crugnale
165th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SAVANNAH, Georgia. -- U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. David Marciel, a crew chief with the 142nd Fighter Wing, Oregon National Guard, knows his way around the flight line.
He has maintained dozens of aircraft throughout his Air Force career, documented hundreds of flight logs required for them to fly, and ensured pilots are always strapped in and ready for oversea combat zones like Saudi Arabia and Ukraine and here abroad for training exercises like Sentry Savannah.
“Our job is to make sure the aircraft is airworthy, mechanically sound, and physically fit to fly,” Marciel said.
Marciel enlisted as an active duty engine technician in 1985 and cross trained to become a crew chief two years later.
After five years of active duty service, he transferred to the Oregon Air National Guard and returned to his original specialty as an engine technician.
Eventually, he took a position as crew chief once again and continues in that capacity today.
This November will mark his 36th year of service and in that time, he has fostered new and old relationships with both the higher and lower enlisted, as well as gained years of on-the-job experience and knowledge.
“Readiness is key for keeping all these aircraft ready to complete the mission,” Mariciel said.
He explained that in Oregon they have a high operations tempo which keeps him and his team very busy and requires them to be manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The 142nd Fighter Wing along with 10 other units participated in Sentry Savannah, April 12-21, 2021, which is the Air National Guard’s premier counter-air exercise executing 4th and 5th generation integration tactics.
His mission is more than just a crew chief during this exercise. In addition to keeping the aircraft in tip top shape, he enjoys taking time to mentor and train his lower enlisted members.
As a supervisor, he ensures his team is ready by working one-on-one with subordinates, some of which are just starting out in the career field.
One of those troops is Airman 1st Class Reese Calaro, a crew chief with the 142nd Fighter Wing, who has been named a top-performer at Sentry Savannah 2021. This exercise is Reese’s very first deployed training experience.
“I really like my job and one of my biggest influences are the trainers, like Master Sgt. Marciel,” Reese said, “He has been teaching us everything we need to know to be proficient at our jobs and they look out for us.”
Reese said the deployed troops expressed their appreciation for Marciel by presenting him with a gift after work hours this past weekend.
Marciel not only takes pride in the opportunity to mentor younger troops but also the opportunity to work on one of the Air Force’s premier fighter jets, which is not something many people get to do in their careers.
Although his younger teammates may tease him about the amount of time he has served by saying things like “you have to be one of the oldest living crew chiefs alive,” Marciel said these young Airmen do a great job at showing respect and appreciate the expertise he brings to the unit.
While being the oldest crew chief alive may or may not be true, one thing that rings true is the huge impact Marciel has on the Airmen in his unit and the joy he experiences while sharing the knowledge and experience that has come from a 36-year plus career.
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2021 10:36 |
| Story ID: | 396547 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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