Photo By Staff Sgt. Tina Villalobos | Airmen guide Soldiers off C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft at Moffett Field in Fairfield,...... read more read more
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, FAIRFIELD, Calif. – A smattering of rain drops briefly dampened the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, as Soldiers from several Army Reserve units worked alongside Airmen to complete their mission of moving troops and vehicles from Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield to Moffett Air Field, in Sunnyvale, California. The joint force units were part of the "Big Logistics-Over-The-Shore, West" exercise that took place July 25-Aug. 7.
Soldiers from across the United States; and as far away as Puerto Rico, converged on three main Bay Area locations of California, including Alameda, the Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO), and Camp Parks in Dublin. The exercise allowed Soldiers to engage in hands-on training to provide an understanding of the intricacies of moving troops and equipment into theater.
“We were tasked by the 311th [Expeditionary Sustainment Command, assistant chief of staff, operations and training], Col. McLaughlin, to come up with a real-world airlift mission,” said Chief Warrant Officer three (CW3), Eugene Peters, of Sacramento, California, of the 1397th Deployment and Distribution Support Battalion, Vallejo, California. “We developed today’s mission based on the methodology that we actually used to move Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, from stateside to theater. We moved the vehicles by ship and then by air to the intended location. The Big Logistics Over-the-Shore, West exercise involves the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force all working together on one opportunity.”
The military mantra of ‘train as we fight’ also rang true for the Air Force personnel taking part in the exercise.
“When I was deployed to Afghanistan, we transported 250 helicopters out of Afghanistan for the Army,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Kristen Lewis, Loadmaster Instructor, 312 Airlift Squadron from Redding, California. “We train to fight, and we fight to win. This training, having the Air Force, the Army and the Navy working together, was amazing. Any kind of cross-training we can have among the different branches of service is great. It was valuable training for everyone. One of the best things about it is that it allowed us all to see the big picture and how everything works together.”
One of the Soldiers responsible for driving the HMMWVs aboard the C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft was Spc. Elvin Santiago, a 22-year-old Soldier from 390th Transportation Company, from St. Germain, Puerto Rico. Santiago found working with the Air Force very rewarding.
“There were five Soldiers from my unit on the flight to Moffett Field,” said Santiago. “We learned how important it is to follow instructions with regard to tying down vehicles and to have everything well planned out. The Air Force is very organized and safe. They do their jobs very efficiently, and they’re very good at providing instructions. I admire what they do. Having the hands-on training really helps as well, because you get to actually apply what you are learning. It was a very rewarding experience.”
Big Logistics Over-the-Shore, West allows the Army, Air Force, and Navy to experience working together and to understand the importance of synergy among the joint force team in accomplishing missions around the world.
“Everything throughout Big Logistics Over-the-Shore, West has exceeded my expectations,” said Peters. “The Soldiers did a fantastic job. The support from the command was outstanding. The command would say, ‘this is your task—go for it,’ and allow us to collaborate and get the job done.”
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2015 14:13 |
| Story ID: | 173494 |
| Location: | FAIRFIELD, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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