Exercise Southern Star ‘25 has provided 433rd Airlift Wing Citizen Airmen with numerous opportunities to hone the skills they regularly train on at home station. In response to the dynamic airlift requirements of the exercise, Alamo Wing Citizen Airmen from operations and maintenance specialties have been called upon to apply their expertise in rapidly evolving conditions.
Aircrews have been executing engine-running onloads and offloads (EROs) to move cargo and personnel as efficiently as possible. EROs also reduce the amount of time the C-5M Super Galaxy spends on the ground, a critical consideration in potentially hostile environments.
For Maj. Ben Ernst, a 68th Airlift Squadron pilot, Southern Star represents a special milestone: his first landing away from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland since graduating from the C-5M Super Galaxy formal training unit hosted by the Alamo Wing.