For the son of a Port Orchard man, there is no such thing as making a mistake. Mark L. Schmidt, son of Charles Schmidt of Port Orchard, is one of a small group of Air Force men and women responsible for the safety, security and reliability of a part of the nation’s nuclear arsenal, a job that leaves no room for error.

Schmidt is an aircraft mechanic with the 62nd Airlift Wing, a part of the Prime Nuclear Airlift Force mission. He and his fellow airmen recently took part in a week-long nuclear surety inspection where they received the highest score possible.

Schmidt’s job is to make sure that the aircraft is in good repair.

“I’m a part of a team that inspects the aircraft for air-worthiness for our number one mission,” Schmidt said. “This includes checking the exterior and interior for serviceability (and) the tires for wear and damage, refueling the aircraft, servicing the aircraft with oil, oxygen, and

nitrogen, and inspecting for damage and leaks.”

This nuclear airlift mission is divided into three main areas.

One area is the personnel reliability program. This program ensures that airmen who deal with nuclear weapons are emotionally stable, reliable and physically able to do their jobs.

Another important part of the program is the upkeep and maintenance of the aircraft and the third, and maybe most important, is the training to ensure the proper transport of the weapons.

For Schmidt and his fellow maintainers and aircrew members, this training is hardly left to chance.

“For the inspection,” he said, “I needed to ensure that all of my training was completed and that my qualifications

were up to date. No mistakes can be made, so I have to make sure that I’m mentally prepared to do my job.”

In a job where second chances are rare, Schmidt feels that attention-to-detail in every aspect of the job is paramount to success.

“This is McChord’s No. 1 mission,” he said. “Being selected to be a member of the team means there is no room for errors and you have to bring your

A-game each and every time an aircraft is selected and prepared for a mission.”

Schmidt, who spent 24 years in the Air Force on active duty and since his retirement, has six years of civil service, knows how critical

the prime nuclear airlift force is to the Air Force and the nation and that safely transporting the weapon systems is just as important as being prepared to use them.