Civil Engineer reservists get mission ready

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tiffany Lundberg | U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Reservists with the 302nd Civil Engineer Squadron map and find points during land navigation training during a four-day Unit Training Assembly, May 2, 2019, at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. About 60 302nd CES reservists in 11 Air Force Specialty Codes, or career fields, completed required and essential training including convoy training, weapons qualification and career specific tasks to maintain mission readiness and real-world response techniques. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tiffany Lundberg)  

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO, UNITED STATES

05.08.2019

Story by Staff Sgt. Tiffany Lundberg 

302nd Airlift Wing

Approximately 60 reservists from 302nd Civil Engineer Squadron, spent four days honing their readiness skills at the Field Engineering Readiness Laboratory, here, May 2-5, during an extended unit training assembly.

Airmen completed their required individual and unit mission-ready tasks including land navigation, convoy training, AFSC focused tasks and more. The 302nd Force Support Squadron also joined the 302nd CES in some of the trainings.

The Airmen with the civil engineer Air Force Specialty code, comprised of 11 career fields, are among the first to establish and maintain forward operating bases at deployed locations to build including water, electrical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and structures, said Senior Master Sgt. Ralph Peck, 302nd the CES operations superintendent and a coordinator for the weekend. The various trainings are essential for the 302nd CES reservists in order to be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.

“The CES has a Combatant Command mission, so when they activate us we have to be ready including self-aid buddy care, CPR and all the training that we are doing here. We have to be ready for it,” said Peck.

The Reserve Citizen Airmen worked together to find points on a map, moved as a team while under simulated fire and clearing houses and trained with the machinery used in their careers. They also qualified on their weapons and completed chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense training.

“It’s important for our Citizen Airmen to get their mission readiness skills and training under their belt and what better way to come out here to do field exercises,” said Chief Master Sgt. Kahn Scalise, the 302nd Airlift Wing command chief. “It is very beneficial for our Airmen to actually get out of the office and come out here for a few days to put the gas mask on, do convoy training, heavy equipment training, set up a field kitchen along with other mission essential tasks.”

This was the first year the 302nd CES put together a four-day drill weekend to complete their required trainings in one go. Peck, Blackburn, Staff Sgt. Justin Tilly, 302nd CES emergency management technician, and Staff Sgt. Jacob Timby, the 302nd CES operations junior Air Reserve Technician, worked together to gather all the necessary instructors and equipment in order for the reservists and the squadron to be ready for the call.

• Date Taken: 05.08.2019
• Date Posted: 05.08.2019 16:54
• Story ID: 321461
• Location: U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO, US