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***image1***It was a quiet, peaceful morning. Airmen were working hard to set up their living quarters, when suddenly, a bomb went off. The Airmen dropped what they were doing and raced to find cover as the smell of gunpowder filled the air.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe civil engineer Airmen participated in scenarios just like that during the field training portion of Silver Flag, an exercise held at Ramstein
Oct. 7 to 10.
“The purpose of Silver Flag is to prepare Airmen for any type of bare-base deployment, whether it is for a Global War on Terrorism mission or a humanitarian mission,” said Master Sgt. Susan Wood, 86th Construction and Training Squadron services combat training manager. “The concepts are the same and the equipment is set up the same regardless of the mission being supported.”
Hosted by the 86th CTS on a 44-acre field training site, Silver Flag 09-01 consisted of two training parts. The first week consisted of 40 hours of classroom training specific to each Air Force Specialty Code.
“We give them a scenario and they have to plan on supporting a certain number of personnel,” said Master Sgt. Michael Knox, 86th CTS exercise coordinator. “We make them give us very specific details on how all these things come together to build a base in an expeditionary environment.”
The second week gave Airmen a hands-on opportunity to practice all of the things they learned in the classroom.
“The cadre tests us to see what we can do and how much we remember from the classroom training,” said Airman 1st Class Justin Cather, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron heavy equipment operator from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. “You never know when the occasion is going to arise and you will need this training. I think everybody should do this.”
One hundred and thirty-eight Airmen from 13 career fields – civil engineer, services, personnel support for contingency operations, judge advocate, medical, supply, logistics, contracting and finance – participate in Silver Flag every 20 to 40 months. The exercise provides each career field with the opportunity to train with Airmen from other USAFE units as well as to hone their skills through unique exercise scenarios.
“War gaming gives Airmen a chance to practice the skills that are needed in a contingency environment,” said Sergeant Knox. “We are here to support any given
mission and each individual is extremely important in the major scheme of things. Without teamwork, the mission would suffer greatly.”
On the runway, heavy equipment operators, also known as “dirt boys,” filled in craters to make an operational runway, while the electricians set up the airfield lighting.
“We trained with new equipment that just came online, such as the new remote lighting system,” said Tech. Sgt. Chad Moore, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron electrical assistant craftsman from Aviano Air Base, Italy. “Coming out here helps us out a lot with training, especially for the new guys before they deploy. This gives them the opportunity for hands-on training with new equipment in an expeditionary environment.”
Elsewhere, firefighters went face-to-face with live-fire training, battling structural fire and rescue training scenarios.
“Rescuing a person in a fire situation gives you a very rewarding feeling,” said Senior Master Sgt. Keith Jimmo, 65th CES fire chief from Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal. “It is very hard to explain why we do what we do except that we just want to help people in need, and ensure no one gets hurt or dies when we can prevent it.”
In the Emergency Operations Center, members of leadership also learn to apply the skills they learned in the classroom during each scenario.
“One of the biggest challenges is taking Airmen from many different units and bringing them together as a team in a very short amount of time,” said Lt. Col. Charles Kuhl, 52nd CES commander, Spangdahlem Air Base. “This team is fantastic. They have stayed motivated all throughout the exercise.”
