West Des Moines native keeps pilots safe

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. David Salanitri | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sally Overton, an aircrew flight equipment technician with the 451st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, deployed from the Iowa Air National Guard, inspects aircrew gear April 3, 2012, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The mission of the 451st EFS is to deliver decisive airpower on target, on time.  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

04.09.2012

Story by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri 

United States Air Forces Central           

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, recently deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sally Overton, an aircrew flight equipment technician with the 451st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, deployed from the Iowa Air National Guard, is impacting the enemy throughout Afghanistan by keeping the pilots who fly the F-16C Fighting Falcon here safe so they can delivery decisive airpower in the region.

"Being a part of the airpower mission has been one of the things I love most about my job," said Overton, a graduate of Valley West High School in West Des Moines. "Back in the States, our pilots mainly train, but out here, their missions are combat sorties, so what we do is very important."

Overton's commander, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Travis Acheson, echoes similar words.

"From a pilot’s perspective, you never really think about life support until you need it," said Acheson. "Life support tells us everything we have available to us - survival vest, our pistol and just about anything else. Flying combat missions out here, makes our pilots very interested in what life support has for them."

• Date Taken: 04.09.2012
• Date Posted: 04.09.2012 03:44
• Story ID: 86472
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF