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92nd SFS team contender at Air Mobility Rodeo

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Buzanowski
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The Fairchild Air Force Base security forces Rodeo team received 382 of 400 points during the first of three Air Mobility Rodeo security forces challenges July 25.

The four-man team assigned to the 92nd Security Forces Squadron was the final team of the day to perform the humanitarian aid delivery scenario: drive through a village to the supply building, ensure successful delivery of medical supplies and depart with all the team members safely - rendering first aid and calling for an aeromedical evacuation if needed.

Staff Sgt. Luke Wright led his team and five other 'good guy' role players in a convoy of three vehicles to accomplish the mission. The warning order for the mission came to the team 24 hours in advance and it was Wright's responsibility to prepare to brief his teammates - this portion of the competition was weighted at 60 points. His roommate, Staff Sgt. Matthew Grega, knew his was taking this seriously.

"I walked in to the room last night to see him wearing all his gear pacing the room with a piece of paper practicing the mission brief," said Grega, the team's second in command and radio and telephone operator.

Wright added, "Those are points I get for the team and that's something that I can control to give us as much advantage as possible."

Security forces Airmen from the U.S. Air Force Air Expeditionary Center facilitated and evaluated the exercise. Tech. Sgt. Matthew Butler briefed the teams and asked if they had any questions before turning the floor over to the team chief. He awarded Wright the full 60 points. "His briefing was very detailed and well spoken. One of the best I've seen."

During the official out brief, Master Sgt. William Gaskins, Air Expeditionary Center, said "I wish I could bottle up your communication skills and inject them into the other teams. Actually, I wish I could award bonus points for it because communication is that critical." He commented their skills were phenomenal and he was even more impressed it came from one of the teams most junior in rank.

The team said they were frustrated by the evaluation medical element of the scenario. "We have a very well-trained, capable individual - he's so passionate about medical care," said Grega of Senior Airman Alexander Aun, the team medic.

Aun is a nationally-certified paramedic who tested and received his recertification last week. "It's challenging having to guard both yourself and the patient, return fire, care for the patient and talk to your teammates all at the same time," said Aun. "I liked the medical portion because I got to do what I was trained to do; I just wish the non-visible indicators were verbalized better during the scenario."

Although the team planned for hours for a 15-minute scenario, Senior Airman Richard Holder, team designated marksman, said things didn't go like they had planned. "We got 10 percent through the plan then we got shot. Overall though, this wasn't a super hard challenge because we train on foot doing maneuver for miles before we'd reach our objective. Our training scenarios were a lot harder this," said Holder.

About a dozen people were behind a tinted, plexi glass window to support the Fairchild SFS team - including Chief Master Sgt. Martin Westawski, 92nd SFS security forces manager. "From a wartime mission standpoint, they executed flawlessly - from the time they were given the operation order to Sergeant Wright's command and control. To have full time instructors praise such a young team - you can ask for no better."

Also cheering on Fairchild was the Rodeo team members and their local civic leaders were cheering them on. "It made me scared for them, my heart was pounding just imagining that was a real situation. I watched with the utmost admiration at how calm, cool and collective they were. They are obviously true professionals," said Mrs. Dawn Hahn, a retired operating room nurse and a Spokane civic leader with her husband Dr. John Hahn.

When the civic leaders asked Gaskins how Fairchild ranked against the other teams who competed that day, he said he wasn't able to say, but that if Fairchild kept performing this well they'd be a contender.