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    372nd Training Squadron trains airmen for real-world demands

    372nd Training Squadron trains airmen for real-world demands

    Photo By Jonathan Bass | Airman 1st Class Brenton Repine observes as Airman 1st Class Carissa Barrera works on...... read more read more

    SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, UNITED STATES

    05.28.2013

    Story by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Bass 

    20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

    SHAW AIR FORCE, S.C. – Many know the pilots, the brave men and women who soar in the skies above Shaw and cause every eye to turn and stare in wonder as the jets zoom by. Not many people know about the behind the scenes of the F-16 Fight Falcons - the crew chiefs, avionics technicians, armament systems analysts, munitions technicians, electrical and environmental analysts, fuels airmen, aerospace ground equipment technicians and aerospace propulsions analysts, who ensure that the pilots lives are safe.

    The members of Detachment 202, 372nd Training Squadron know those airmen - they train them.

    Their mission: “To train F-16 maintainers to the fullest extent possible, and to meet training, exercise, and real-world demands,” said Tech. Sgt. Kanita Wilburn, an F-16 armament systems instructor with Detachment 202, 372nd TRS, here.

    Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Wallace, the detachment chief, heads up this task by knowing all the operations going on at a given time.

    "I am the senior representative for the 372nd Training Squadron here at Shaw,” said Wallace.

    As detachment chief he is responsible for millions of dollars of equipment, a 20,000 plus square foot facility, all the instructors and students and all the courses taught.

    The detachment facilitates the training needed to maintain and ensure mission integrity.

    “As a weapon systems instructor, we have a number of courses that we teach, mainly in a classroom setting,” said Wilburn.

    Wilburn added that they also use hands-on, performance based objectives to ensure that their students are getting adequate training and information.

    Instructors assigned to Detachment 202 train between 700 and 1,000 airmen every year, Wallace said.

    While the detachment trains that many airmen in a year, class sizes are still small.

    Wilburn said her classes are usually comprised of 4 or 5 airmen, and this means each airman gets more instructor to student interaction.

    “We have a lot of involvement,” said Wilburn.

    Detachment 202 is responsible for training F-16 maintainers, they accomplish their mission by providing effective and real-world applicable training with knowledgeable instructors who have the ability to teach airmen the skills needed to succeed in their career fields.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.28.2013
    Date Posted: 05.28.2013 22:53
    Story ID: 107661
    Location: SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, US

    Web Views: 98
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN