Airmen prep for Warrior Week

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
8/16/2012 - Travis Air Force Base, Calif. --  Approximately 500 Travis Airmen will participate in Warrior Week from Aug. 20 to 24 intended to sharpen skills and prepare Airmen for an Operational Readiness Inspection due in February 2013.
It is one of three such weeks planned to expand knowledge basis and make sure Airmen are set to deploy.
Chemical warfare training, Mission-Oriented Protective Posture, fortification of structures, unexploded ordnance identification, self-aid/buddy care and life-saving knowledge, post-attack reconnaissance and weapons familiarization are some of the training areas on which the 60th Air Mobility Wing and the 349th Air Mobility Wing focus during Warrior Week, said Maj. Jared Paine, 60th AMW plans ORI point of contact.
"We're providing the wing with a cadre of 'super trainers,' unit members who are trained in all aspects of deployed skills training," Paine said. "Monday through Thursday is an opportunity for the individual to take responsibility for their training and own it."
On Aug. 24, Warrior Week will culminate in a "validation day, when the training of the first four days is measured and evaluated in one of 16 Ability to Survive and Operate stations or graded scenarios. Each scenario will have an evaluator or subject matter expert,' said Maj. Barry Crosby, 60th Operations Support Squadron deputy director and the operations group's ORI point of contact
"The data collected will result in higher ORE scores," he said. "It's so we can create tailored and targeted training."
In the days preceding the validation day, Paine said each unit will devise its own schedule and create its own training.
"It's a designated week to minimize other activities to focus on this," Paine said.
Although the trainers are honing their skills and expanding their knowledge bases, Warrior Week effects everyone, Crosby said.
"We're all involved," Crosby said. "It's not just for players. ... Everyone has a part with the 60th's efforts to score well in the ORI."
Master Sgt. Billie Ogan, 60th AMW plans ORI point of contact, echoed Crosby's statement.
"The (Inspector General) can ask questions of anyone with an Airman's manual," Ogan said. "It takes the entire Travis team to get deployers ready and ensure deployment success."
The 349th AMW is involved with training leadership in both wings about their role in ATSO, including running command-center operations.
Collaboration between the two wings is paramount, Ogan said.
"Our processes are synchronized and robust," she said. "It is a chance to unleash the fury of exemplary ATSO skills."
Paine said that while trainings such as Warrior Week and the ORI are important, there is a bigger picture of which all Airmen must be cognizant.
"The purpose of the week is to make sure the 2013 ORI is successful, but more important than that is we're ready to do the mission," Paine said.