Mongrels train for wartime environment

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Henderson Anthony, a structural craftsman with the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron, stands in a cloud of decontamination powder while his Mission Oriented Protective Gear is decontaminated during Exercise Beverly Herd 16-01 at Osan Air Base, South Korea, May 11, 2016. Dozens of civil engineer Airmen participated in the training scenario covering wartime survival skills. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Victor J. Caputo)  

42, SOUTH KOREA

05.11.2016

Story by Senior Airman Victor J. Caputo  

51st Fighter Wing

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – Airmen from the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron went through a series of training stations covering various wartime skills here on May 11 during Exercise Beverly Herd 16-01.

The different stations gave the 51st CES Mongrels a chance to hone skills they don’t normally utilize, such as donning Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear, decontaminating themselves, and proper weapon handling and safety.

“They’re getting the information straight from the experts rather than word of mouth,” said Master Sgt. Angel Peraza, 51st CES emergency manager. “The whole squadron will now have the same mindset and expectations about what to do in these situations.”

The Mongrels’ primary mission in a wartime scenario is keeping the base runway active and in the best condition possible, along with maintaining infrastructure throughout the rest of the base, and events like this provide them with a chance to practice a skillset outside of their primary duty.

“I would argue that more than anywhere else in the world, this matters, that we do it regularly and that we take it as seriously as possible,” said Maj. Je Raley, 51st CES deputy commander. “When my junior Airmen and officers are going through this, especially with this potentially being their first assignment, it should hit home and help to secure that muscle memory on what they’re supposed to be doing.”

The stations included unexploded ordnance identification, how to identify chemical attacks and protect mission-critical gear, and decontamination checks and procedures.

“If you think about typical CE, their job is to get the airfield up and running after an attack,” said Peraza. “So if these guys are on a working party filling craters on the runway, that’s a process that can take several hours, and they may have to provide their own security. Now I know that my Airmen know how to point their weapons downrange, how to identify targets, or how to protect themselves in a chemical attack.”

• Date Taken: 05.11.2016
• Date Posted: 05.11.2016 02:17
• Story ID: 197830
• Location: 42, KR