TINIAN, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands -- One goal of Exercise Geiger Fury 2012 is to improve mission readiness and combat effectiveness of Marine Aircraft Group 12. While some might think this means solely increasing the performance of pilots, that would be far from the truth. With such an exercise, a massive amount of supplies are necessary to maintain mission effectiveness. Maintaining that is the job of the aviation supply Marines.
“Planning for supply takes a lot of time,” said Master Sgt. Don Henson, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 supply detachment staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge. “We have more than 1,600 line items and it took at least four months of planning to figure out what it would take to keep the planes here flying, because you can’t fly without supply.”
Supply Marines work tirelessly toward their mission goal in ensuring all units have the tools necessary to perform their jobs.
“Our goal is the goal of the MALS-12 commanding officer, to keep every aircraft flying,” said Henson.
“The biggest obstacle we could face is holding down an (aircraft) for a part we don’t have,” said Lance Cpl. Leon Peterson, MALS-12 aviation supply specialist. “That’s why we make sure we have accountability for everything, to make sure we have whatever we might need while we’re out here. The most difficult part so far was getting everything we needed before we headed out.”
Through all the complications and time constraints, supply Marines have managed to accomplish all goals set for them during the exercise.
“We want to be 100 percent mission capable,” said Henson. “We want to be successful and be ready at all times.”
With the constant requirement of supplies, such as ordnance and other materials, the job of supply is never finished. Whether accounting, ordering or distributing, aviation supply Marines work in a constant cycle to provide the tools necessary for every squadron to achieve mission accomplishment.