War Week provides realistic scenarios for rescue squadron

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Spencer Gallien
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The 41st Rescue Squadron here recently came together to hold a War Week that provided squadron members with realistic scenarios they may encounter while deployed.

The exercise provided Airman approximately 12 flight sorties a day and more than 138 flight hours in total for the week.

This type of intense training is invaluable for new Airmen coming into the squadron as well as for Airmen who need to get used to new hard crews, said Lt. Col. Steve Gregg, 41st RQS assistant director of operations.

Each day began as though the squadron was deployed to a location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

As Aircrews came in during the morning hours, Capt. Erin Hayde, 41st RQS chief of intelligence, would provide a daily threat update to prepare them for their flight sorties.

The threat updates provided were realized through 21 role-players who used the type of strategies and tactics that Airmen may encounter while confronted by insurgents.

The Opposing Forces (role-playing insurgents) also received threat briefings from 41st Intelligence on daily missions, as well as guidance to replicate insurgent-like tactics.

Some of the different scenarios included simulated small arms fire, mobile surface-to-air missile attacks and wounded ground soldiers that needed to be located and extracted.

In one of the scenarios, members from the 41st RQS responded to a convoy that was hit by an improvised explosive device.

"According to our intelligence, there were two victims waiting for extraction and medical attention," said Staff Sgt. Shea Tabisula, 41st RQS aerial gunner.

Two hard crews were employed to provide the necessary combat search and rescue to save the two simulated victims.

"During the sortie we were split from the other ship," added Sergeant Tabisula. "But in the end we were able to drop the pararescuemen in, locate the other hard crew and return home safely."

These types of training missions are what help develop our new Airmen into some of the finest CSAR members in the world, said Colonel Gregg.

"We (41st RQS) really came together for this exercise," added Colonel Gregg. "From the bottom up we all pushed ourselves."

Colonel Gregg also pointed out that the 41st Helicopter Maintenance Unit has been doing a great job.

"The maintenance flow has been nothing short of amazing," said Colonel Gregg. "They're ability to keep four birds (HH-60G helicopters) mission ready for four flights a day has been a testament to the maintainers in their unit."

The maintainers have been working 10 hour days, evenings and nights to make sure that the operations tempo is met.

"This kind of (ops) tempo is something you normally only see in a deployed atmosphere," said Staff Sgt. Robert Feldmann, 41st HMU crew chief. "I'm really impressed--all of our maintainers have handled this week very well."

In the end, the War Week provided the Airmen of the 41st RQS, from maintainers to aircrew members, with invaluable training needed to operate and survive in a deployed environment.

"The smallest things count in a deployed atmosphere," said Capt. Keith Crane, 41st RQS Aircraft Commander. "This type of exercise allows us to learn the little intricacies of our crew members. Just learning the way your flight engineer tells you to make a left turn (in the aircraft) could make a difference."