Airmen of the Burgh: Staff Sgt. Benjamin Lowry

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Seybert
  • 911th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, Pa. --  From aircraft maintenance to physical therapy, Staff. Sgt. Benjamin Lowry, 911th Maintenance Squadron fuel cell technician, knows the importance of repairing damaged parts.

While his civilian job requires him to repair the human body, the Air Force has taught him how to repair mechanical parts on the C-130.

Growing up in a family where both his uncle and great uncle were pilots in the U.S. Air Force, Lowry knew he wanted to join the Air Force from a young age. However, his original plan of becoming a pilot and carrying on the family tradition was set aside and joining the Air Force was put on hold when he fell in love with the medical field.

While attending Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in pursuit of that field, he took a Reserve Officer Training Corps class and realized that joining the Air Force was something he still really wanted to do in life.

"In ROTC, I realized I could still obtain my dream of being in the Air Force and do what I love to do," said Lowry. "By the end of that semester I had signed my papers and took the next semester off from school for basic training and tech. school."

As a fuel cell technician, his job is to ensure the entire fuel system on the aircraft is working properly and not damaged in any way, as this could lead to fuel leakage or mechanical failure during flight.

Along with effectively maintaining the C-130's fuel system, Lowry also helps the 911 MXS in other aspects.

"Ben is an outstanding Airman, person and wingman" said Staff Sgt. Darryl Barber, 911 MXS fuel cell NCOIC. "He uses his medical skills from the civilian world  by teaching Self Aid Buddy Care and CPR to everyone in our squadron."

Both Lowry's civilian and military career fields require a standard of excellence and attention to detail that must be upheld ensuring necessary repairs whether mechanical or to the human body are executed properly.

He said that although this job works with a mechanical object, it relates to what he does as a physical therapist in the civilian world. In fact, Lowry pointed out that if he doesn't properly repair the aircraft, the crewmembers' lives could be at stake. Similarly, if he were to mess up while working with a patient, their livelihood or life could be on the line.

"If you look at the C-130, it has its fame and its inner working parts just like the human body," said Lowry. "It's my job to repair any part of the fuel system that's damaged, and as a physical therapist it's my job to repair the human body."