Brothers in arms

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Giovanni Sims
  • 355th Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  For years pilots have been depending on maintainers to keep them safe in the skies. They put their trust in the Airmen of the ammunitions flight to build their bombs, the Airmen of weapons to load their bombs and their crew chiefs to ensure their aircraft is safe and serviceable.

Over the past six years, Maj. Gary F. Glojek, 354th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations, has forged an enduring bond with one crew chief in particular, Staff Sgt. Anmoledeep Sandhu.

“I remember when Sandhu was a young Airmen and could barely get the jet prepped for me to take, and I would barely be able to get it off the ground to fly,” said Glojek.

Through the years, Glojek and Sandhu repeatedly got orders to the same assignments. They were even deployed together which provided them the extra time to get to know each other in a professional setting.

“When you’re deployed or [on temporary duty] together you don’t have some of the normal responsibilities like taking care of your family or your house or car,” said Glojek. “You get to spend a day on the line with your crew chief learning about their job and helping them understand yours as well. You really build a dynamic relationship with each other.”

Just as pilots must trust their crew chief to keep them safe, crew chiefs must perform at a level of excellence to ensure the aircraft are ready for flight. The operations tempo can be unforgiving. Whether clocking a certain number of hours for the month or deploying downrange to win the high-end fight. When things get overwhelming, it’s nice to see a familiar face.

“It helps when you’re doing something big,” said Sandhu. “Having someone you know can put you back into the right state of mind. It’s good to have someone you trust because I’m the last face he’ll see and I always do my best in keeping him safe.”

As all good things must come to an end, both Glojek and Sandhu have grown from learners to leaders. Sandhu has been charged with growing young crew chiefs to be dedicated maintainers and Glojek is responsible for leading young pilots. Each of them continuing to build bonds.