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'Mopp'ing up in Hawaii

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kelly Goonan
  • 439th Public Affairs
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANNEOHE BAY, Hawaii --  

A dynamic who’s who of aircraft – P-3s, F-18s, helicopters, Kobber Gunships, C-12s, Hawkers, C-17s, C-5s and C-130s – continuously rolled up and down the airfield during a recent exercise.

The 7,771-foot runway was rarely idle during the four-day 439th Airlift Control Flight exercise, Patriot Palm. Not only did the ALCF Airmen move in synch to keep aircraft moving, they did so in full chemical warfare suits.

“Part of our wartime capacity includes ability to survive and operate training within a chemical environment,” said Maj. Jessica Rose, ALCF director of operations. “It’s two-fold - to be able to perform the command control of airfield operations for Air Mobility Command and complete that in a chemical wartime environment.”

This unique exercise included simulated wartime environments that required every member to don their chemical warfare gear and respond to simulated crisis situations while performing their real-world mission of moving aircraft and cargo between locations on Oahu Island, Hawaii.

In addition, Lt. Col. Gilbert Kesser, 439th ALCF commander, tasked two Westover emergency management personnel to participate in Patriot Palm to train and evaluate the ALCF for a deployment to a high-threat area.


“Our job as the exercise cadre was to evaluate their pre-, trans- and post-attack actions and their personal survivability in a chemical environment,” said Alan Dedinas, 439th Emergency Management. As the EM exercise cadre conducted several attack scenarios to evaluate their operations during ground and missile attacks, some of the ALCF Airmen experienced their first sustained simulated wartime conditions in a CBRNE environment.

 

“Overall the ALCF did a great job. Every time we conducted an attack, they continued to make improvements,” Dedinas said.


“All of us have a general understanding of everyone’s job and are willing to help when a need arises,” said A1C Paige Sullivan, 439th ALCF. “I’ve learned that flexibility is imperative for our unit. This exercise threw in issues I’ve never dealt with before, forcing us to run with it and adjust to ensure mission success.”

ALCF is unique in that they are the first troops into a location that does not already have a working air base and usually have to operate alone until they bring in the aircraft needed to finalize the set-up of a functioning base.

 

“This training is extremely valuable in preparing them for their mission. It helps build teamwork, communication skills, and survivability in a wartime setting,” he said.


Unlike previous exercises, Westover Airmen were the sole players.

 

“This is busy, dynamic, outdoors and extremely team-oriented,” said Lt. Col. Irving Weisenthal, ALCF operations officer. “The fact that this unit is focused on not just staying current but proficient is fantastic. This is not the unit to join if you just want to put up your feet and coast.”

Reserve ALCF’s and active-duty Contingency Response Groups work with FBI Rapid Deployment teams as part of AMC’s Affiliate Program. These teams are required to load their equipment on various aircraft in different configurations. The Air Force is required to train Airmen on contingency air mobility operations.

“We engage the FBI through our affiliation managers and network with other governmental agencies that can be deployed. We are working alongside Border Patrol, Search, Trauma and Rescue, and Rapid Deployment Teams with FBI,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Borowski, ALCF officer. “Through AMC aircraft, such as the C-5 and C-17, we can adequately train these teams on proper loading and off-loading procedures. These training missions allow us to do our jobs and for them to accomplish theirs.”

FBI teams also participated in the training. 

 

 “I don’t feel we would be nearly as effective without the Air Force and these types of exercises because they add an element of reality and provide valuable interaction,” said Kristen Vonkleinsmid, supervisory special agent, Los Angeles field. “In times of real crisis, our folks will have worked and trained alongside our military affiliates, and so it becomes one big team effort as opposed to individual missions.”

The Air Force Reserve is a combat-ready force, composed of approximately 71,000 Reservists, stationed locally throughout the United States, serving globally for every combatant command.

“We provide our nation with operational capability, strategic depth and the capacity to surge quickly when America needs us. We are an integrated Total Force partner in every Air Force core mission,” said Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, Air Force Reserve commander.

“If there is a surge in military operations or a natural disaster, we have 36 hours to get on a plane and head to the location that needs us,” said Lt. Col. Gilbert Kesser, ALCF Contingency Response Element commander. “These training exercises are essential to keeping our Airmen proficient, flexible, knowledgeable and deployable.”