Airmen more prepared for 'battlefield' Published Jan. 23, 2007 By SSgt Amanda Mills Public Affairs Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- The overseas "battlefield" may now be more manageable for six Team Vance Airmen deployable within the AEF 3/4 rotation. The Battlefield Airman training Dec. 7 and 8 included changes recently directed by Gen Don Cook, Air Education and Training Command commander. General Cook directed the additional combat training be accomplished prior to deploying Airmen for AEF 3/4 in January. Deployed members now are seeing more action than ever, and the new requirements prepare them for what to expect. "As such, each AETC wing commander was challenged with the best way to ensure every Airman gets the maximum training available prior to deploying," read a message to the 71st Flying Training Wing from Col Clarence Taylor, headquarters AETC readiness division chief. Colonel Taylor said General Cook specifically mentioned the training would include: qualifying all personnel on the M-16, at a minimum, to include officers; an increased level of Self-Aid and Buddy Care and where possible, life-saving skills; completion of the revised "Use of deadly force" training module; and combat skills. "The intent of the increased training requirements is to prepare our troops for the current conditions they can expect in deployed locations," said 2nd Lt Dennis Widner, 71st Logistics Readiness Squadron installation deployment officer. "Unfortunately, these conditions are much different than those experienced by Airmen in the past. As anyone can see from watching any news channel, there is no 'front line' in Iraq or Afghanistan. So, we must attempt to instill an expeditionary mind set and teach our Airmen how to react to combat situations without having to open their Airman's manuals for assistance ... there's no time for that when rounds are being fired at you from enemy weapons or mortar rounds are being thrown into your perimeter." Security forces conducts most of the new training. "All of the tasks sent down to be taught are core tasks for security forces, so it all ended up in our office," said TSgt Scott Henshaw, 71st SFS NCO in charge of training. "While we could teach all the topics, we also asked for the base's resident experts from civil engineer readiness and the medical group to assist with some of the subject matter (Enhanced Self Aid and Buddy Care; Unexploded Ordinance; Nuclear, Biological and Chemical; etc). We had a very short period of time to come up with the format, additional topics we wanted to include and a field training exercise." The 71st SFS designed the two-day training and included additional topics based on feedback from recent Team Vance deployed returnees. Maj Robin Hill, 71st Logistics Readiness commander and MSgt Wade Terrell, SSgt David Counts, SSgt Blane Perigo, SSgt Brian Sult and SrA John Neidigh, 71st Operations Support Squadron, completed the Battlefield Airman training. Along with the training the Air Force and AETC now requires, they also completed personal protective equipment setup, weapons handling, Enemy Prisoner of War handling, communications, night vision equipment, unexploded ordinance, vehicle and convoy procedures, Mission Oriented Protective Posture, or MOPP, gear training and the field exercise. "We are currently gathering feedback from the initial course's six attendees," said Lt Col Robert Mitchell, 71st Mission Support Group deputy commander. "Feedback will be used to refine what will be trained and how the training will be conducted in the future."