"Aerospace

propulsion journeyman is a fancy way of saying, 'I'm a jet engine mechanic,'"

said the 1993 graduate of Campbell High School in Smryna. "I make

sure our engines stay in working condition, so we can get people, supplies

and weapons to the fight."

A federal staff

of law enforcement and medical specialists recently flew nonstop to Cuba

with al Qaeda detainees in a C-17A from here. The detained included suspected

bombers of the U.S.S. Cole at port in Yemen, as well as two top Al Qaeda

operatives. But most of the flights hold cargo that ranges from helicopters

to portable hospitals or construction equipment and crews.

The air team's

day starts and ends in cold, overcast Germany. But in between, their landing

zones frequently lie in ruins at remote barren desert locales and always

critical to the war effort.

"My job

is very serious," said Williams. "We say, 'There's no thrust

without us,' because the C-17 goes nowhere without jets certified by us

jet troops."

Williams makes

sure the planes return safely from their dusty missions