Photo By Senior Airman Ann Butler | Senior Airman Samrie Feria, an aerial porter assigned to the 36th Aerial Port...... read more read more
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Air Force Reserve's Port Dawg Challenge is an annual week-long challenge held at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, performed with aerial port squadrons from across the Air Force Reserve Command.
While this year's event was canceled, the 86th Aerial Port Squadron (APS) and the 36th APS hosted their own form of the Port Dawg Challenge this year.
This localized challenge consisted of five different events that each team would cycle through - 60k off load and on load course, HUMVEE tie down, pallet netting and container express (CONEX) chain down, security x-ray scenarios, and a quiz.
The goals of this challenge were to get 86th and 36th used to working together as well as to find areas of improvement and identify their strengths.
“Having two aerial port squadrons, you have to learn who's in the other aerial port squadron, because a lot of times we deploy with 36th and 86th combined. I think it's beneficial to know who you are working with if you are going to get deployed with them. Our goal was to get the 36th and 86th together so we could start working together, learning different members of different units, to get morale up between the two units and get some training in as well,” said, Master Sgt. Aaron McNally, an aerial porter assigned to the 36th APS.
Each event helps train the Reserve Citizen Airmen in their jobs as well as prepare them for deployments.
This year's local Port Dawg Challenge was organized by McNally and Master Sgt. John Carmack assigned to the 86th APS. It took four months from planning to prepping.
“Usually once a year the 36th and the 86th share a UTA (unit training assembly), we were trying to figure out a way to: one, keep us active since we have to share our assets, and two, in the long run, it was just for us to start working with each other," said Carmack. "And not be two aerial ports, but focus as one aerial port here at McChord."
The organizers also put on the challenge to see where deficiencies lie, according to Carmack.
With the success of this year's 86th and 36th APS' Port Dawg Challenge, the units will continue to do this combined, localized challenge annually.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2022 19:11 |
| Story ID: | 416686 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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