Contingency response Airmen build partnership capability in Egypt

  • Published
  • By Capt. Dustin Doyle
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. (AFNS) --  Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing bolstered Egypt's ability to mobilize its troops by training 20 Egyptian airborne soldiers on airlift and cargo loading procedures during Exercise Bright Star in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 9 to 21.

During the eight-day training course, the Airmen taught Egyptian students how to load plan and prepare cargo for transportation aboard an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The training was designed to increase capabilities between the U.S. and Egypt, while allowing the Egyptian Airborne to learn how to mobilize in days instead of weeks.

"This training provided a lot of 'firsts' for these soldiers," said Tech. Sgt. John Rickenbach, a contingency response team chief from the 621st CRW's 819th Global Support Squadron. "Most of these guys were straight out of their technical training, and this was their first-time working with the U.S. military. For many, this was also their first-time prepping and loading cargo and flying in a plane."

The Egyptian soldiers prepped and loaded humvees and armored personnel carriers onto C-17s. In all, the CRW Airmen and Egyptian soldiers processed 28 vehicles and 305 personnel. The training concluded with a low-level orientation flight over Egypt. 

The training did present several difficulties -- the language barrier being one. 

"It took some extra time because everything had to be translated, but our translator did an amazing job," Sergeant Rickenbach said. "At the end of the course we gave him a letter of appreciation and one of our squadron coins. He felt extremely honored because those aren't customary traditions in the Egyptian military. It was a great opportunity to build up that working relationship between us and the Egyptian soldiers."