By Gary Rice
NADEP NEWS Editor

They may be the two shortest people on the line, but Kathy Hansen and Sue Lauer don’t let lack of height get in their way. As employees in NADEP Cherry Point’s H-46 Sheet Metal Shop, they do build-up work and fix interior and exterior discrepancies in H-46 helicopter cabins. They also assist and support other trades.

“I’m just trying to learn this job the best I can,” Hansen, who has worked at the depot for about a year and a half, said. “Sheet metal work is like an art, it’s not just done the same way on every job, and I want to be real proficient at what I do.”

In the course of their duties, the women are involved in many different types of metal repair and remanufacturing work. They both say they have no trouble at all fitting in with their male co-workers.

“We work with some really great guys out there,” Hansen said. “They accept us as equals and look out for us.”

“There are challenges to face every day when you’re working with an old helicopter like the H-46,” Lauer said. “There’s lots of wear and tear on the metal parts. But I like the challenges because they make things interesting.”

Hansen agrees and says she finds the challenges of the job rewarding. “Sometimes when I start a job and look at it, it seems so difficult,” she said. “But then, when I get it done, I feel as though I’ve really accomplished something.”

“They do an excellent job,” Jerry Bennett, Shop 95662 Supervisor, says of Sue and Kathy. “They’re doing the work that no one else wants to do. It’s hard work on top of that aircraft. It’s tedious and time consuming, but it’s just as important as any big job that has to be done.”

In recognition of their efforts, Lauer and Hansen each recently received an Informal Recognition Award Certificate from Bennett. The certificates cite their many contributions to the early completion of repair work on a particular helicopter.

Lauer is a retired X-ray technician who has been at NADEP for about 10 years. She hails from Pittsburg, Pa., and prior to moving to North Carolina 25 years ago, she lived in Rhode Island. She attended two years of X-ray technician training in Philadelphia and also lived in Ohio. She and her husband are big on water sports and spend as much of their leisure time on their sailboat, jet ski, and kayak as they can. Lauer says she intends to stay at the depot until she retires, and she and her husband plan to make North Carolina their permanent home.

Hansen joined the Marines after high school and served 13 years on active duty. She worked in a wide range of jobs in the military and did sheet metal work during her final three years of service. She left the Corps in 1992 to raise a family and joined the Air Force Reserve about two years ago. As a reservist, she recently completed avionics training in Biloxi, Ms., where she attended a five-month course in electronics and guidance control systems.

Prior to coming to the depot, Hansen worked for Raytheon for six months. She says her previous work experience has served her well at the depot.

“I take pride in what I do because I know we’re out there supporting the military,” Hansen said. “It makes me feel good knowing that I’m doing my part to help. And the situation in Afghanistan only makes me want to put even more effort into what we’re doing.”

Hansen has a son, 20, in college and a daughter, 11, in the sixth grade. Her husband is a Marine gunnery sergeant stationed at Camp Lejeune. In her spare time, the Chicago native says she loves to quilt and sew.

“I sold quite a few of my quilts after I got out of the Corps,” she said. “The most I’ve sold one for is $500. Quilting is very relaxing, and right now I have four going at the same time.”

Photo Caption: Kathy Hansen (left) and Sue Lauer work on top of a helicopter in the NADEP Cherry Point H-46 Hangar in Building 137. (Photo by Gary Rice)