A day in the life of the NCO-in-charge of the Armory

  • Published
  • By By Airman 1st Class Samuel O'Brien
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  No Airman deploys unprepared-when they leave they do so with all the equipment necessary to do their job.


This includes the piece of equipment that could save their lives one day; their weapon, and Barksdale's 2nd Security Forces Squadron armory makes sure every Airman has the basic necessities to protect themself while deployed.


Staff Sgt. Sherman Smith, 2nd Security Forces Armory NCO-in-charge, starts his day the same way so many others do, by checking his e-mail. He has to clear up an equipment return issue with 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron and he does so with a simple phone call and a slight bit of playful harassment from someone he clearly knows.


As the NCO-in-charge, Smith is tasked with making sure all procedures are followed to keep the weapons in working order, accounted for and safely stored. He is also responsible for signing weapons out to deploying Airmen and checking them in when they return as well as storing the personal weapons of Barksdale housing residents.


Next on the docket is picking up a shipment of bullets from the 2nd Munitions Squadron. Smith drives out to the east side and picks up a "bread truck" to enter the restricted area. The truck must be used to pick up the rounds because it has signs to indicate that explosive materials are being carried. Despite the fact that these are practice rounds, it's still a necessary precaution.


Smith balances his daily tasks with his duties as a supervisor to his small group of Airmen.


"As the NCOIC, I do the work too, but my main job is to make sure that everyone else is doing their work and doing it correctly," he said.


Senior Airman Joshua Kennedy, 2SFS armer, admires the hard work Smith has put in, in his short time on the job.


"I've actually been here longer than him so I know things that he doesn't, but he knows the NCOIC stuff like all the accounts that I don't," said Kennedy. "It's pretty cool because I'm learning from him, and he's learning from me."


Smith's duties these days are even more extensive than usual. The entire security forces squadron is soon to move into a new state of the art building and the new armory dwarfs the small room that these seven airmen currently inhabit.


"It's going to be better for everyone. In a small, tight space like this, things get lost easier and stuff piles up. The aisles are small and the space is tough to move through," said Smith. "A larger space helps you distinguish different areas and keep track of things better."


This becomes apparent when Smith brings in the eight cases of practice rounds. After he opens a cabinet to store them, he has to shuffle and re-arrange the contents of the cabinet just to fit most of the boxes inside. When he's done, there's still one sitting out. These are issues that the small armory presents on a daily basis.


"This is why we're excited about the new armory," said Smith. "It's going to be so much more spacious."


The larger space also creates a safer working environment. The open area makes it easier to get away if there's a hazardous material spill or an explosive risk. Exposure to ammunition could cause dangerous discharges.


The rest of Smith's day is dedicated to less exciting but equally necessary duties. He coordinates with 2 LRS to coordinate weapons check ins.


Smith is also in charge of making sure inventory of the armory is taken on a daily basis.


"We check every item in the place every day, down to the bullets. We do an exact count of everything," Smith said. "Human errors are made from time to time, but we do our best because if the count is off by even one, we have to do it all over again."


This is the routine that goes on every day at the old armory, just as it will the new armory. The coming weeks will be out of the ordinary, as Smith and his team move all of their equipment to the new building.


"It's going to be an all-day thing for a while," said Smith. "All the different security forces flights will have to help out. It has to be a very systematic move."


The importance of the building is worth all the extra work to these Airmen.


"It's motivation for us. This building is so old and so many things are broken. Things have to be fixed on a daily basis. It's not just a new building. It's new hope, a new beginning, a new start for all of us."