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ASAB’s Battle of the Badges

Photo By Senior Airman Austin J. Prisbrey | A defender with the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron takes part in team...... read more read more

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, KUWAIT

06.07.2021

Courtesy Story

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

Airmen assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces and Civil Engineer Squadrons competed in the Battle of the Badges June 5-6, here.

The competition consisted of a bucket brigade, an M4 carbine break down and reassembly speed round, a firefighter basic skills circuit and a security forces physical strength challenge.

The battle ended with each unit winning two events. A tie-breaker volleyball game decided the champion and the ECES firefighters toke home the trophy.

“The goal of the competition was to build camaraderie, test each other’s expertise in our respective fields and to learn new skills from one another,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jordan Chandler, 386th ESFS installation entry controller.

For the competition, each unit designed two challenges unique to their career field to test their own skill set. These tasks helped the other unit get a glimpse of the requirements and tasks of the other.

“The competition enabled us to build a closer working relationship with our brothers and sisters in the fire department,” Chandler said. “Now that we’re familiar with each other and some of our basic responsibilities, we’ll be able to better work as a team and accomplish the mission.”

Because they work together so frequently, familiarization with each other’s duties is important when lives are on the line.

Interoperability is a critical part of the job. Fine tuning relationships and responses before a crisis in events like these is not only fun, but imperative.

“Today’s emergency responses require a unified approach,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Jeremy LaPlante, 386 ECES deputy fire chief. “We both perform our jobs better when the first time you meet someone isn’t in a life or death situation.”