Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/320559
June 2014 | EquipmentWorld.com 18 technician of the year M ost mechanics or technicians, as a general rule, do not work under the pressure of life-or-death situations. But Air Force master sergeant James C. Thomas III is no typical technician. In March, Thomas was named the 2014 Technician of the Year by the Association of Equipment Manage- ment Professionals at the AEMP's annual conference in Las Vegas (see sidebar, page 22). The award highlighted 16 years of accomplishments for Thomas including the maintenance of huge fl eets of military equipment in the Middle East and, and in one incident, using his technical mastery to help save the life of a injured civilian in the wilderness of New Mexico. Lifesaving instincts Currently, Thomas oversees the mainte- nance of some 970 vehicles and other non-fl ying assets at Holoman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The on and off- road equipment he manages is used in construction and tactical operations over two states and 52,000 square miles. When Air Force offi cials at Holoman were notifi ed recently that a solo hiker was injured and lost in the vast expans- es of White Sands Missile Range area they sent up a Predator drone to look for the man. But the drone's specialized refueling vehicle broke down on its way to a rendezvous point, and with- out fuel the Predator was grounded. It looked like the hiker, who had yet to be located, might not survive. Thomas's maintenance unit was noti- fi ed, but he quickly realized his team didn't have enough time to drive out across the desert and fi x the vehicle. Instead, he got the drivers of the refuel- ing vehicle on the phone and talked them through a series of diagnostic Air Force master sergeant, combat veteran, named AEMP Technician of the Year By Tom Jackson with Chief Master Sergeant Gabriel Hage