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Patriot Wyvern tests Airmen’s skills during unit inspection

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Daniel Phelps
  • 349th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Members of the 349th Air Mobility Wing participated in a Patriot Wyvern exercise putting their readiness skills to the test here, July 22 – 23.

This particular exercise tested the operational, medical, maintenance and aerial port areas, and coincided with the wing’s unit effectiveness inspection.

“The purpose of this exercise and inspection was to demonstrate our capabilities at our wing’s core tasks in order to showcase our competencies to our higher headquarters,” said Maj. Trent Gilmore, 349th Operations Support Squadron plans and inspections officer.

During the event, members from across the 349th AMW worked through scenarios to strengthen their primary job skills and identify areas for improvement. The 349th Operations Group performed several types of flying operations, to include low-level flying, terrain-masking, touch and goes, assault landings and air refueling. The 349th Maintenance Group worked to launch and recover all of the KC-10 Extender, C-17 Globemaster III and C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft flying as part of the exercise. Additionally, members of the wing’s three aerial port squadrons tested their cargo loading skills.

“It shows the levels of expertise our members have across the three aerial ports,” said Senior Master Sgt. Andrea Fragoza, a wing inspection team member with the 82nd Aerial Port Squadron.

For the medical portion of the exercise, members of the 394th Aeromedical Staging Squadron were tasked to build an en-route patient staging facility and set up communications for a humanitarian mission scenario. The objective was to setup and receive patients in one hour, however; exercise participants were able to do so in 35 minutes.

“This was a pre-test for Patriot Warrior, an exercise that our members will be leaving for next month,” said Senior Master Sgt. Shana Gale, 394th AMW Inspector General inspection’s office self-assessment program manager.

The exercise also fostered teamwork within different 349th AMW units and could not have happened without active-duty counterparts, explained 2nd Lt. Andrew McGee, 55th Aerial Port Squadron officer in charge of aerial port operations support flight.

“This was definitely a joint effort between all entities,” said McGee.