Modified game show prepares Airmen for ORI

  • Published
  • By Capt. Victoria Keegan
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  The answer was, “The upper receiver, the lower receiver and bolt receiver,” but the question eluded the runner-up team during an operational readiness inspection “Jeopardy” tournament here.

“I wish I had known the three parts of an M-16,” said Senior Airman Sarah Rogers, a crypto-maintenance specialist assigned to the 96th Communication Squadron. “That would have been worth a two-day pass.”

Her team might not have earned the pass, but she said she did come away with knowledge that helped her prepare for the inspection. And that was his intent, said Master Sgt. Michael Kidd, of the 96th CS, who developed the game.

One of the items during an exercise identified a need to improve knowledge of information in the Airman’s Manual, Sergeant Kidd said. The manual covers basic warfighting skills and is intended to be used heavily during training and exercises and during deployments. Airmen are supposed to read the manual and be familiar with its contents.

“I would ask really tough questions that I could see had (our commanders) puzzled, and a team would answer it,” said Sergeant Kidd, who also acted as host. “That’s when I knew the game was a success because it did what it was designed to do -- get people (to read) their Airman’s Manual.”

The game was a combination of “Jeopardy” and the college board show, pitting 12 teams of six people against each other for a two-day pass. Airman 1st Class Jennifer Joynt played the role of Vanna White from “Wheel of Fortune. Answers were in “question” form, and teams had a few seconds to deliberate responses before losing their turn.

Sergeant Kidd said he devised the game, complete with double jeopardy and daily doubles, from an off-handed comment by a lieutenant in the squadron.

“(He) said we needed something like ‘Jeopardy,’ something the unit could do that would be fun,” Sergeant Kidd said.

After several weeks of working on the project and with lots of help from other people in the 96th Communications Group, Sergeant Kidd said he felt they had a product that would do just that.

“It was very informative,” Airman Rogers said. “I wasn’t surprised that it was, but I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did.”

The game went out to other groups and squadrons who also used it to help prepare for the inspection.

“It’s just a unique way to learn material that people find somewhat dry,” Sergeant Kidd said. “Plus, everyone has a great time cheering for their team."