Ground combat skills prepare Airmen for base survival

  • Published
  • By Maj. Ann P. Knabe
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  As the desert sun beat down on the deployed Airmen, Staff Sgt. Stacy Miller crawled along the ground, digging her helmet and face into the sand as she pushed her body along the barren ground. At one point during the low-crawl, she actually tasted sand, grittiness and all.

An information management specialist for the 64th Air Expeditionary Group at a desert base, Sergeant Miller and the rest of the group's Airmen, now know how to low-crawl, how it can help save their lives during combat and other survival tactics necessary to defend a base.

The geographically separated unit of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing held a mandatory ground combat skills training exercise for all Airmen assigned to the group.

Group commander Col. Jay Carlson conceptualized the 36-hour exercise shortly after taking over the unit activated Dec. 18.

“I took to heart General (T. Michael) Moseley’s recent letter to commanders,” said Colonel Carlson, referring to a Jan. 30 letter from the Air Force chief of staff. “(General Moseley) said every Airman, regardless of rank, position or Air Force specialty code, should be trained as a base defender.”

Building on this vision, Colonel Carlson thought of different ways the 64th Support Squadron could augment the 64th Security Forces Squadron, deciding hands-on training was the best approach to give augmentees the training needed to defend the base in case of an emergency.

“First Lt. Andrea Skrabal, our expeditionary security forces training and resources flight commander, took the vision and made it a reality,” the colonel said. “She built a training program, highlighting those skills necessary to fight as an effective force in the integrated defense as well as securing critical facilities, freeing up security forces defenders to meet the enemy at the perimeter.”

During the exercise, Airmen learned a variety of defensive maneuvers traditionally reserved for security forces. The students low-crawled and high-crawled, practiced defensive fighting positions with rifles, and mastered apprehension techniques and vehicle searches. The exercise climaxed with a scenario in which the Airmen raided a villa, cleared all the rooms and captured “insurgents” hidden inside.

For Airmen not trained in security forces techniques, the exercise was challenging.

“The hardest part was learning to look around while carrying your weapon,” Sergeant Miller said. “When you’re not used to carrying a weapon on a daily basis, this can be difficult.”

Sergeant Miller said the exercise also pushed Airmen physically.

“We did one search exercise called the duck walk,” she said. “When you do this, your feet are spread shoulder-width apart and you squat down, looking all around. We could definitely feel this the next day in our legs.”

Physical demands are just one of the many challenges the Airmen faced. They trained in groups of 12 to 17 Airmen, rotating training on different tasks over the course of three days.

“Weapons handling and the use of force were the most difficult skills for most people to learn,” said Master Sgt. Robert Duke, group superintendent of training and resources. “However, some of the students were naturals. But, the skill level didn’t matter. We worked and learned together as a team and epitomized the wingman concept.”

Despite the challenges and physical demands, Sergeant Miller said she really enjoyed the training exercise.

“I found out I had more in me,” she said.  “The deep voice and solid, determined commands came from within. Then when we did the field training exercise, it all came together. It was amazing how we all put our skills together to work each scenario, and to discover our challenging techniques, communication skills and combat defense maneuvers really work. That’s what being a team is all about.”