McConnell Reservists hone combat skills

Published Aug. 5, 2012
By 1st Lt. Zach Anderson
931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- The sun is just peeking over the horizon, the clouds streaked with soft tinges of red and pink as a group of heavily armed, camouflaged Airmen stealthily and slowly make their way through a dense undergrowth. As they approach a clearing, the lead Airman drops to a knee and scans the horizon, checking for threats before pushing into the open. The squad slowly emerges from the foliage, weapons at the ready, eyes peeled for any sign of danger.

Crack!

The silence of the dawn is shattered by the explosion of a gunshot. The squad of Airmen instantly drops to the ground as cries of, "Contact right, contact right!" ring out. The squad rushes to form a firing line and begins returning fire, repelling their attackers. The air is filled with the smell of gunpowder and the crackle of automatic gunfire.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the attack ends. The opposing forces retreat and the Airmen lie prone on the ground, sighting down the barrels of their weapons while checking each other's status before continuing their patrol.

It's a scenario that could be from any military conflict around the world, but this one in particular took place at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., as the Air Force Reserve 931st Security Forces Squadron conducted the final portion of a four-day field training exercise (FTX) today. While the weapons may have been firing blanks, the excercise was conducted as part of a plan to expose the members to the most realistic combat situations possible.

For four days, the members of the squadron conducting training that included weapons firing, response to incoming fire, field hygiene, tent set-up, radio communication, reporting procedures, land navigation, counter insurgency, entry control point training and night operations. The training culminated with a practical application of all of the skills. It was a demanding and grueling curriculum to say the least, but one that SFS leadership says is necessary for the continued development of the squadron.

"As the days get long and the temperatures get hot, we are going to give them the opportunity to use their skills in as much of a high-pressure environment as we can," said Lt. Col. Edward Hunn, 931st Security Forces Squadron commander. "They are going to be battling fatigue, they are going to be hot, and they are going to have to make decisions. That's all learning for these Airmen, and this training is vital for what they are going to be doing."

Staff Sgt. Ashley Rodriguez, a fire team leader in the 931 SFS, played a key role in organizing the training. She said the four day exercise allowed the squadron to accomplish training that can't be done during the course of a normal unit training assembly weekend.

"A lot of times during the UTA, we're restricted to classrooms and people have other training they need to do, so we are using this exercise to get all of the field training done that we can," said Rodriguez.

The 931 SFS is the newest squadron in the 931st Air Refueling Group, having just stood up in October 2011. Hunn pointed out that the squadron is also very junior in rank. He said because of this, his Airmen have taken on the challenge of planning, organizing, and performing at levels well beyond the rank indicated on the sleeves of their uniforms.

"I'm so proud of how these senior airmen and staff sergeants who have been with the 931st for a year now have stepped up and taken on the challenge and responsibility of developing our training program to this point," said Hunn. "The fact that we are able to conduct a four-day FTX like this shows their incredible professionalism and dedication to duty."

The focus of the entire training exercise was to continue to ready the SFS for deployments. Hunn said that over half of the squadron is already scheduled to deploy in the future, and that this type of training is what they need in order to be prepared.

"The skills they are learning through this exercise are all about preparing. We put the focus of this training toward their particular mission so that they understand that these are the skills they are going to need to be able to utilize," said Hunn.

In order to make the training as applicable as possible, the SFS drew from the experience of its members who had been deployed in the past. Rodriguez has been deployed three times in her career, and said that experience helped her in planning the training scenarios.

"I definitely draw from that experience," she said. "I can tell them firsthand the type of things they are going to encounter, and what to do in certain situations. I can share with them exactly how things happen in a real deployed environment and how they need to be prepared to respond."

She continued, "That's why this training is so important. Most of the individuals in our squadron have never deployed. This training gets them used to what we do and teaches them how to do it the right way. That ensures that when they do deploy, they'll be ready."

Staff Sgt. Kyle Behymer, 931 SFS, said the training exercise allowed the members of the squadron to gain valuable experience working together as a team.

"We are a deployable unit, so these types of exercises where we can all work together at the fire team and squad level are critical," said Behymer. "It allows us to work on our movements and all of our drills, from reacting to fire to how we deal with casualties or enemy prisoners of war or clearing out objectives to complete a mission. This field training exercise is what brings all those elements together."

Hunn said the FTX is part of an overall training plan to continue to develop the skills of the squadron. The plan is for the squadron to spend the next several unit training assemblies focusing on specific skills, and then conduct another FTX at the beginning of 2013.

Behymer said he believes that the continued training is extremely beneficial for the squadron.

"This really gives us a chance to work on individual specific skills and learn where our strengths and weaknesses are so that we can focus on them and continue to improve as we prepare for deployments," said Behymer.

As he watched his squadron enthusiastically train under the blazing Kansas sun, Hunn couldn't help but express his pride in the Citizen Airmen that make up the 931 SFS.

"They are all volunteers. They are here because they want to be here," said Hunn. "Less than one percent of Americans actually do this. And here these guys are, stepping up and volunteering to get muddy, to get sweaty, to be frustrated, to lose sleep, to eat what isn't the most pleasant food, and to do it all with a smile because they know this is important. They want to be here and they want to do this. That really says a lot about each one of them."

Battle ready