What is it like being a 15E (e.g. duty stations, job, deployments, etc.)?

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 15:52:30 -0500

Response by SSG Richard Stevens made Dec 29 at 2017 3:55 PM

SSG Richard Stevens — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 15:55:26 -0500

I was a 15 E we were always busy and always in the field

Response by Jordan Gaudard made Dec 29 at 2017 11:32 PM

Jordan Gaudard — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 23:32:28 -0500

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member I want to start off saying, I've never been a 15E. However, I was a 33W back when we did UAS/UAV repair on RQ-7b. I was a crew chief, unit trainer, and team leader while I was in Iraq for a 12 month deployment on Shadow RQ-7b.

The training for the job is some of the best you will receive, they are very patient for those who do not understand mechanics. At least it was amazing when I went through Fort Huachuca around late 2008 early 2009 time frame. After getting out, you do spend a lot of time in the field getting the 15W at RL1 qualified before deployments. You'll spend many hours perfecting the training you received and although it may not sound great being in the field. Keep in mind you are actually doing your job, not in a motorpool doing a PMCS on a 5Ton that has not moved from it's parking spot in over a year because the tire someone ordered a year ago is on back order.

For deployments, you will work at minimum 12 hour days, 7 days a week for likely the whole 9 month deployment. When there are factors that prevent the operators from flying, you will still be going to work to catch up on maintenance, paperwork, or clean. Sometimes the cards align, and you will have free time to go to the bazaar, PX, Green Bean Coffee etc, but not nearly as much as the other people on the FOB. At the end of the tour, you will have worked more hours than the majority of people in the unit, and get the same award as a 35F who played minesweeper 5 days a week, with 2 days off. The way I look at it, is I don't care about the award. I know I served my country when I was needed, I learned and perfected a skill by doing it everyday. If it was possible for me to sign up to be a 150U, I would actually do the paperwork to go WO.

As far as duty stations, for the most part you can go to about any FORSCOM unit, and a lot of places. I don't know if you have specific places you wish to go. I'm not the best person to ask about that one. I also don't know if you get to choose your aircraft, or anything like that.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 7 at 2018 3:00 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 15:00:39 -0500

I'm a 15E currently stationed at Fort Drum, New York. I've been in for 2 years now and the first year was spent in training, I had to go through shadow and Grey Eagle training. After getting to Fort Drum, I spent 3 months getting ready to catch up with my unit in Kuwait and Iraq, I spent 6 months over seas with them. I learned more over there than I did in the 10 months in AIT. You'll be very busy on deployments, and depending on where you get stationed and how the weather is there, you will have busy times and slow times. So far since being back in the States we haven't done much with our aircraft but we're still getting our equipment in and set up. If you like getting your hands dirty and working hard and learning new things there is plenty of all of that in this mos. It is one of the most deployed assets in the Army, so you'll definitely get your deployment stripes. It's a great job with plenty of opportunities after you get out. If you get the qualifications you need while you're in, you can go to work for any of the contracted companies that work with the Grey Eagle, and you'll likely make a pretty penny from it too. The on the job experience is great. You will have times where you hate it and the people around you but the people I've met so far in the Grey Eagle community are some of the coolest, and it's a very tight nit group. I only know of a few of the available duty stations you could go to. There is, Fort Drum, Fort Irwin, Fort Riley, Fort Carson, Fort Bragg, Fort Stewart, Fort Hood, Korea, you can also go 160th. Down time does suck but when you have work it's fun. And deployments, we did 12 hours a day for 14 straight days then had 1 day off, only 1 person off per day from each shift. It gets tiring but it's good experience. I don't know if any of this rambling is helpful, but it's what I have. Good luck!

Response by SGT Virgil Pritchett made Jan 11 at 2018 12:53 AM

SGT Virgil Pritchett — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 00:53:44 -0500

We definitely stayed in the field and the MOP suit was you're field uniform.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 13 at 2018 4:35 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 16:35:34 -0500

It all depends. I'm a 15E up at Ft. Wainwright. You don't do much in the way of doing, which really is a drag. However, others who were in my AIT course were stationed at Ft. Campbell or Ft. hood and they've deployed twice already. If you get Shadow as your only platform you can expect to be out in the field a lot more than with Gray Eagle. It's not a bad job when your unit is actually getting flights up, but if you aren't flying a lot of the time or aren't deploying it really sucks. So it all depends in where you end up getting stationed.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2018 11:10 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 23:10:28 -0500

I'm a 15e with my u5 qualification I work on the grey eagle system at Ft Campbell