Audubon native keeps leads airman, keeps planes in the sky over Afghanistan

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Greg Biondo | A U.S. Air Force F-16C with the 451st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, takes off for a mission over Afghanistan, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, April 4, 2012. The mission of the 451st EFS is to deliver decisive airpower on target, on time.  

AFGHANISTAN

04.05.2012

Story by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri 

United States Air Forces Central           

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A native of Audubon, Iowa, recently deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Air Force Master Sgt. Lynn Zajicek, a shift supervisor with the 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, deployed from the Iowa Air National Guard, is impacting the battlefield in a big way -- keeping planes in the sky so decisive airpower can deliver bombs to the southern region in Afghanistan.

"Every few hundred miles, we bring the aircraft in for preventative maintenance so there are no issues up in the air," said Zajicek, who's been part of the Iowa ANG for about 27 years. "We completely tear the aircraft apart. If there's a defect, we will find it."

Keeping aircraft in the air allows the squadron to carry out its mission of delivering decisive airpower to the southern region of Afghanistan.

"Our jets are more than 20 years old, and require routine maintenance," said Lt. Col. Travis Acheson, 451st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander. "We couldn't do what we do, without having the high-speed maintainers we have here."

• Date Taken: 04.05.2012
• Date Posted: 04.05.2012 15:02
• Story ID: 86314
• Location: AF