KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- As weapons load crew team members wait for the competition to begin, a quiet, anxious calm hovers at their spots on the flightline.

The call to attention rings out across their spots and suddenly there’s an organized frenzy of movement.

The 67th and 44th AMU held the third quarter weapons load competition here Oct. 24.

The competition tested the readiness of both units for real-world contingencies. Weapons load teams needed to load four missiles onto an F-15 Eagle within 35 minutes. The time limit began when an evaluator called the teams to attention.

“When they call us to attention, the adrenaline is rushing, pumping throughout your body, and you are focused on every little detail,” said Staff Sgt. Niquita Newton, 67th Aircraft Maintenance Unit load crew chief. “Anything can lose it for you, like dropping a tool or not looking over something correctly. I just got into focus mode.”

Maintaining focus is critical to success during the competition. In addition to being timed, the teams are also observed by fellow Airmen and maintenance group, wing and squadron leaders.

“This was one of the more efficient loads I’ve ever seen,” said Tech Sgt. Benjamin Bouvy, 18th AMXS load standardization crew member and an evaluator for the event. “Everything was very deliberate; you could tell the load crews prepared to come out here and perform today. It’s not out of the norm for the pressure of the crowd and wing leadership to weigh on a crew, causing them to make mistakes they normally wouldn’t make.”

The everyday operations of the units prepare them for not only the weapons load competition, but also real-world scenarios.

“Everyday operations prepare us for this,” said Newton. “We do this type of work every day; we load every day. The competition is always fun, but this is what we do day to day to make sure our aircraft get up and allow the pilots to do the mission.”

When the time limit was up, the 67th AMU came out the champions of the competition.