Airman 1st Class Daniel Lohmiller, of the 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, practices oxyacetylene welding Thursday at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The process uses fuel gases and oxygen to cut and weld metals. Lohmiller and other Air Force mechanics from around the Pacific were completing a newly implemented welding course at the Pacific Air Forces Transportation Training Center at Kadena. (Natasha Lee / Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — After two weeks of cutting and sculpting metals, some Pacific Air Force vehicle mechanics will leave Kadena Air Base with a new set of skills to add to their toolbox, thanks to a new welding course.
Mechanics underwent an 80-hour training course that included 57 hours of lab instruction, said instructor Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Lakin of the Pacific Air Forces Transportation Training Center.
The first course ended Friday.
Lakin said the goal is to give the mechanics a foundation in welding that, when paired with additional on-the-job practice, will help them become proficient.
"We get them in the ballpark of welding. We give them the right metals, the right rods, so they can build on top of that," Lakin said.
Lakin said when the Air Force merged body shop and maintenance units several years ago, welding as a specialty was overshadowed, as more emphasis was put on vehicle maintenance.
Many Air Force vehicle mechanics are unfamiliar with or have little welding experience, he said.
For certain types of welding techniques, he said, units will often hire a welding contractor or fly in a body shop tech from another air base to fix parts.
Lakin said now certified welders will be able to share their skills with their counterparts to help shops run efficiently.
"It will create a ripple effect," Lakin said.
Students studied six disciplines of welding, including stick welding, tungsten inert gas and plasma art cutting.
For their final exam, students were tasked with constructing an art piece using the six disciplines and scrap metal.
Calvin Stageman, a civilian auto mechanic from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, took the course so he can teach techniques to Air Force mechanics there.
Stageman said while some of the course has been a refresher, learning tungsten inert gas, or TIG, welding was a first and one of the more difficult.
The process involves welding thin sections of light metals like aluminum that melt at quicker temperatures and are delicate.
"You have to be real patient," Stageman said.
Having mechanics who are trained in body work and vehicle maintenance saves on manpower and helps curb costs, said Airman 1st Class Daniel Lohmiller of the 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska.
"If I have a crack in a radiator, instead of ordering a part, now can take it off and weld it up," Lohmiller said.
