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Nestled between two large mountain ranges on a desert plateau sits Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB), 50 miles southeast of Boise and 95 miles northwest of Twin Falls, Idaho.
Mountain Home AFB generally evades name recognition among the crew of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). However, in October, a detachment of Truman’s Aviation Ordnancemen (AO) supported the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 for a series of training exercises conducted in the region.
“As a Truman Sailor, you never really expect to go anywhere in the Western United States,” said AO3 Blake Cayson, an ordnanceman in weapons department G-3 division. “When the opportunity to go to Idaho for a couple of weeks came up, I immediately volunteered to be one of the AOs.”
Cayson and the AOs who made the trip to Mountain Home AFB did not go on vacation. Rather, they were hard at work assembling a multitude of explosive ordnance and other related equipment.
“We built 30 bombs and two Linkless Ammunition Loading Systems while we were there…regular things we would normally do underway,” said Cayson. “But instead of being cramped down in the magazines, we had lots of space to work alongside the Airmen who are stationed there.”
According to Cayson, working with the Airmen was a rewarding and refreshing experience.
“They were all really nice to work with. It was interesting to see how the Air Force operated. We shared work-related knowledge and visited the surrounding area with them after work.”
Cayson added that exploring Idaho was one of the team’s favorite parts of the assignment.
“It was beautiful out there,” said Cayson. “Some Sailors went hiking or did some outdoorsy sorts of things. My friends and I went to Boise, and it couldn’t have been a cooler place to see and hang out.”
Once the few weeks of training finished, it was time for Truman’s AOs to return, but the trip out there will continue to shine brightly in many of their minds.
“Mountain Home made me a fan of the West for sure,” said Cayson. “I would love to go back one day whether I’m in the military or not. It was a great experience I won’t forget anytime soon.”
In addition to visiting the beautiful state of Idaho, the mission itself wound up to be a smashing success, according to Cayson. Truman Sailors gained valuable training and knowledge while strengthening the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force interoperability.
Truman is the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCGS) and is currently undergoing a planned incremental availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
For more news from Truman, visit www.navy.mil/local.cvn75/, www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, www.twitter.com/usnavy, www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn75/, www.facebook.com/cvn75, www.twitter.com/ussharrystruman, or http://instagram.com/uss_harrys.truman.
| Date Taken: | 09.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2023 09:57 |
| Story ID: | 460212 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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