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Tyndall Air Force Base welcomed 14 Green Mountain Boys from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Civil Engineer Squadron to Florida for the annual Silver Flag exercise which provides Airmen with combat support training, from March 21 to April 1.
Hosted by Detachment 1 of the 823rd RED HORSE Squadron, Silver Flag is a 10 day exercise to train and prepare Airmen across multiple career fields for real world scenarios they may encounter on deployment. The training focuses on hands-on experience with contingency tools and equipment that are not usually used or obtainable at their home station.
“Here at Silver Flag they take Airmen from different specialties and they give them tasks outside of their current Air Force Specialty Code,” said Maj. Mathew Lehman, the base civil engineer assigned to the 158th Civil Engineer Squadron at the Vermont Air National Guard. “You'll have electricians doing small repairs, you'll have water and fuels systems maintenance cutting concrete. They call it multi-capable Airmen.”
The first eight days of the exercise are instructor led. The way the training is run allows for the student Airmen to be given prompt feedback on any situation they are uncomfortable with or doing incorrectly.
The last two days of the exercise are entirely student led and are under instructor observation.
“They will train the first eight days for what they’ll do in the last two days,” said Lehman. “It will give them the confidence and the competence to do their job in a wartime environment.”
Due to the nature of this exercise, everyone participating will be doing work and using equipment they are not familiar with.
“I've been able to touch equipment that I haven't been able to since tech school,'' said Airman 1st Class Vanessa Tinoco, an HVAC technician assigned to the 158th Civil Engineer Squadron at the Vermont Air National Guard. “I am definitely grateful for this experience here. I’ve been able to work on a lot of equipment that I will see on deployment, but I wasn't familiar with.”
Silver Flag gives opportunities for joint readiness training as well. From the beginning to the end of the 10 day long exercise, a total of 191 active duty, Guard, and Reserve Airmen trained together in a realistic, simulated deployment from Kuwait to Iraq.
“Coming here to Silver Flag we have units from all across the Air Force and as engineers, we all speak the same language," said Master Sgt. Patrick Clohessy, the structures shop supervisor in the 158th Civil Engineer Squadron at the Vermont Air National Guard. "We all blend in without a hiccup. It's been a real positive experience.”
This format of training ensures that all Airmen can work together efficiently and with ease when in a future deployed environment.
“One of the beautiful things about working with so many different Airmen within the same AFSCs is that you get to build on some of that relationship and camaraderie that happens between active, Guard, and Reserve,” said Lehman. “Everybody is here doing the same job and producing at the same level.”
By the end of day 10, all 14 Green Mountain Boys completed all tasks and training assigned to them.
“They had a great attitude throughout the whole training,” said Lehman. “They knocked the whole thing out of the park and really made the Green Mountain Boys proud.”
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2022 15:06 |
| Story ID: | 418608 |
| Location: | TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 379 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 158th Civil Engineers hone skills at Silver Flag, by SSgt Jana Somero, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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