KC-135 Aerospace Maintenance Awards

Senior Airman Jesse A. Gagnon distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as KC-135 Aerospace Maintenance Journeyman, 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 18th Maintenance Group, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan. During this period, Airman Gagnon was an area lead for over twenty hourly post flight inspections, correcting over 250 aircraft delayed discrepancies, directly increasing the unit's maintenance scheduling effectiveness by sixteen percent. Secondly, Airman Gagnon was hand selected as an assistant flying crew chief for an aeromedical evacuation mission where he quickly generated the aircraft within eight hours. He performed over twelve maintenance actions to allow the safe transportation of critical patients for life saving medical treatment. Additionally, Airman Gagnon responded to a "red ball" drogue installation which he completed within an hour. His expertise enabled the offload of seventy thousand pounds of fuel to four United Kingdom F-35s participating in the Department of Defense's Large Scale Global Exercise. Lastly, Airman Gagnon was temporarily assigned for thirty-four days to Eielson Air Force Base for alert posturing and conducted over forty inspections, allowing the RC-135 "Cobra Ball" to continue to collect optical and electronic data on ballistic targets from near peer adversaries. The distinctive accomplishments of Airman Gagnon reflect credit upon himself, the 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and the United States Air Force.