LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Unit and job title: 47th Maintenance Directorate aircraft ordnance mechanic
Why he XLed: Cartwright led the red ball response team which unjammed a powered inertia reel device strap, preventing three sortie losses. While supervising 29 inspections, he identified and corrected 13 critical system discrepancies. He trained personnel on T-6A Texan II canopy maintenance, boosting section capabilities by 33-percent. He removed and replaced a defective component on a barostatic time release unit, a key component to the release of parachutes, saving $7,000. Lawerence’s 473 actions as a technician contributed to over 5,000 flight-hours and 4,000 sorties.