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Train like they fight - Joint training mission prepares aircrews for wartime

  • Published
  • By Capt. Wayne Capps
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ST. CROIX --  As the war in the Middle East continues to rage, the demands being placed on Reserve aircrew members are increasing to all time highs as they spend more time away from families and civilian careers. But one factor stays constant - their training.

On a recent joint C-17 training mission with the 315th Airlift Wing from Charleston, S.C. and the 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from Westover ARB, Mass., both units experienced invaluable training for future wartime operations.

The purpose of this training mission was to provide members of both units the opportunity to work with each other like they would in a deployed environment. "These types of missions are absolutely critical for us. They are our best way to prepare new flyers to perform their duties," said Maj. Michelle Rowe, a flight nurse with the 439 AES.

"We have to be prepared for the long distance movement of patients and this kind of training helps us do that," said Lt. Col. Doug Miller, flight commander for operations for the 439 AES. "The C-17 is multifunctional and easily allows the two crews to practice moving patients."

And practice they did. With four instructors and one evaluator loadmaster in tow, the crew ran through numerous medical scenarios on the 3-day mission in order to make sure every crewmember was prepared for these critical wartime missions.

For Capt. Jenny Chen, a new unqualified flight nurse with the 439 AES, this mission proved especially beneficial. "This was my first flight on a C-17 and it was a good training opportunity for me. I became more proficient on this flight and by the end, I felt more confident in my abilities on the C-17."

The flight crew also found the mission to be beneficial. "We ran through emergency procedures and worked with the AE crew on how to deal with them," said Master Sergeant Reggie Godbolt, a loadmaster with the 317th Airlift Squadron at Charleston AFB, S.C., who was also being evaluated on the mission. "We tried to make it as real as possible."

"These types of training missions are very critical to the point when the balloon goes up, we will be ready," said Master Sgt. Godbolt. "Practice makes perfect and real world missions like this are just too important to mess up."