49th CES takes the fight to the field

  • Published
  • By Airman Sondra Wieseler
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Phase II of the recent base-wide Operational Readiness Exercise here, required many Airmen to take a step outside of their day-to-day duties and into a simulated deployed environment.

The 49th Civil Engineer Squadron, however, took more of a leap. The day the Phase II began, the 49 CES took the mission from their usual workshops to a place they call the 'CE Pit', and troops, as well as officers, experienced the base-wide exercise first-hand.

The CE Pit is a simulated deployed location here. Everything from the tents, to the air conditioners, to the electricity they use, are set up by the squadron.

"The mission here is to train in a deployed environment to show a lot of the troops and younger officers exactly what they're going to have to do when deployed," said 2nd Lt. Zaqueo Salazar, 49 CES engineer. "The day-to-day operations are a little different."

More than 120 Airmen and officers in CE spent April 1 through April 3 working on different projects around base by day and living in tents at the CE Pit by night. They were not allowed to go back to their homes while the exercise took place.

Projects they partook in around base included the building of a concrete masonry unit at Fire Department 2 and a foot bridge at the softball field. Both were real-world projects.

However, the training consisted of more than just engineering and learning equipment.

Security personnel trained at the entry control point of the simulated base by letting vehicles on and off base, conducting searches and challenging aggressors if the scenario called for it.

"Airmen from our squadron that have gone to the Middle East tell us that having this training helps them out," said Senior Airman Norman Luper, a liquid fuels maintenance engineer with the 49 CES. "You're not going to be deployed without an idea of what to expect."

Not only does a simulated deployment prepare Airmen for the unexpected with different scenarios and situations, but it shows their ability to communicate, keep accountability and proves their capabilities without the technology they'd normally have.

"The exercise helps communication between our squadron and the group so they know exactly what we're doing and exactly how many people we have at every job," said Lieutenant Salazar. "It also lets them know that if they need anything, we can get it out to them using just our radios."

The exercise ended April 3, and the 49 CES began the tear-down of their simulated base. Approximately 24 personnel were in charge of taking apart weapons for cleaning and the rest of the squadron took down everything they had set up in the CE Pit just a few days earlier.

But the Airmen are not complaining.

"We have always done it like this," said Airman Luper. "And we are more prepared because of it."