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560th RED HORSE return operationally ready

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shane Ellis
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Joint Base Charleston, S.C. --  More than 130 Airmen from the 560th Red Horse Squadron returned here March 11, 2012 after completing a four day operational readiness exercise at the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Regional Training Site in New London, N.C.

The exercise was designed to provide Airmen from the 560 RHS with additional training, skills and confidence for any deployment they may encounter.

Coined Operation Stallion Trot, the 560 RHS took over an abandoned base and began the process of extensive air base training, which included exercises in multiple disciplines such as base security, airfield damage repair, airfield lighting, convoy, and combat readiness to name a few.

According to Lt. Col. Marty Hughes, 560 RHS commander, the exercise was no vacation, and the Airmen who deployed for this exercise worked an average of 14 to 15 hours each day during the deployment.

Returning to JBC, the general consensus among Airmen from the 560 RHS was a felling of unity and how to better work with each other to accomplish the mission.

According to Staff Sgt. Luis Vega, a heating and air technician with the 560 RHS, the training was excellent. Sergeant Vega said he came away from the exercise with a better understanding of what needs to be done in any situation that may come up in the future while he is deployed with his team.

"I got to know my fellow Airmen better and how to work with them to get the job done," said Sergeant Vega. "I had a great opportunity to see how everything will run when we get deployed."