Dirty Jobs

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Raymond F. Padgett
  • 920th Rescue Wing
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles just how filthy an Airman can get doing his or her job at the 920th Rescue Wing. Got dirt? Call us at (321) 494-0535/6. We'd love to tell your story. 

Where there's smoke, there's fire. And where there's gunsmoke, there's gunpowder residue.
Both are plentiful at the 920th ordinance shop, where maintainers are responsible for the cleaning and care of a large cache of machine guns--more than 55 in all. These guns have ample opportunity to get dirty, as they all spend time attached to one of the unit's fleet of 14 HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters for use during combat search
and rescue operations, civilian rescues, NASA launch support and humanitarian-relief missions.
"We tear apart and clean each gun every time every time they're fired," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Fried, an aircraft ordinance mechanic with the 920th maintenance squadron.
He hauls a 7.62 mm GAU -2C, otherwise known as a mini-gun, onto a workbench.
"This one isn't that bad--only 2,000 rounds were put through it last night," he said as he prepared to clean the weapon, a procedure that can take four to five hours if a gun is really dirty.
"We tear it down, clean it in a solvent bath, then reassemble and lube every part," he said. But gunpowder resin isn't the only thing these maintainers must scrub from mini-guns. The weapons routinely become encrusted with filth during brownout conditions--the giant, whirling cyclone of mud, dirt, grass and debris whipped up by a helicopter when landing on an underdeveloped airfield. "They still fire," said Sergeant Fried, referring to the GAU -2C.
After the weapon is disassembled, most of the parts go to a parts cleaning station to be sprayed, scrubbed and bathed in PD-680, a smelly, petroleum-based solvent. To do this safely, Airmen must wear multiple layers of protective equipment to keep the harsh chemicals in the solvent from absorbing into their skin, eyes, nose and mouth.
Then everything is reassembled and covered with an oozing, grayish Teflon-based lube. According to Tech. Sgt. Mark Tucker, the Browning M2 .50-caliber machine gun creates the most mess--even though the mini-gun has more barrels and puts out more rounds. The M2 is a leftover from World War II but dependable enough for today's fighting forces. Sergeant Fried attributed the M2's excessive grime to the large size of the round it fires: a .50-caliber cartridge is more than five inches long.
"It throws carbon through the entire bolt assembles--caking on the metal all the way up to the flash suppressor," he said. Add sand to the mix of oil and grease and things get truly filthy. "We start with clean gloves, but the grease penetrates them
pretty quick," he said.
To get himself clean before heading home, Sergeant Tucker employs an impressive list of supplies--auto-mechanic cleaning gel, biodegradable degreaser, bathroom soap and a hefty amount of elbow grease.