Honorary commanders survive deployment scenario

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Thomas Trower
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Local dignitaries and their guests fought through vacuum-sealed meals and the blasting propwash of an MC-130H aircraft for the opportunity to experience the lighter side of military deployments here Oct. 29.

Deployment training, equipment issue and demonstrations, a field lunch, and a shuttle on a special operations MC-130H Combat Talon II to a mock deployment zone were on the agenda for the 16 honorary commanders and their guests who participated in the Team Mildenhall Honorary Commanders' Deployment Day.

"We wanted to make the experience as real as possible," said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace, RAF Mildenhall community relations. "We ensured the honorary commanders witnessed a variety of war-related procedures, ate what our Airmen eat while deployed and even asked the Airmen volunteers to step up their role playing to stress the honorary commanders out during their simulated flight and deployment training."

"You have been tasked to deploy into the heart of Afghanistan as part of a secret, special civilian oversight team, to review the progress of the International Security Assistance Force's reconstruction efforts in the country," said Staff Sgt. Ed Bourgeois, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron, as the students prepared for the day. "This is a dangerous mission that requires intensive preparation. You must properly prepare for your task with adequate, required training and equipment, which will be provided to you by the 100th Air Refueling Wing."

The day started with a trip through the mobility line produced deployment kits with individual body armor, gas masks and chemical warfare clothing for the visitors. Sergeant Bourgeois assembled a team of 100th LRS Airmen to gather the gear and give a pallet buildup demsonstration to show how cargo is prepared to board an aircraft. From there, Meals, Ready to Eat and dog tags were issued.

After departing the mobility warehouse, the visitors headed to the passenger terminal to learn about where they were headed and how they should act upon arrival. There they recieved an intelligence briefing on the location the training scenario was based around, a runthrough of legal concerns in a war environment, a medical preparedness brief, a quick history recap of Camp Kabul and information on programs provided to families left behind as a military member deploys.

"It's important not to forget about all the opportunities back here at home station that are available to your families," said Master Sgt. William Dominy, Airman & Family Readiness Center. "Our overall goal is to help take care of your family to ensure you can focus on the mission and finish your job."

Master Sgt. David Hunter, 67th Special Operations Squadron, gave a quick runthrough of how to safely approach and load the MC-130H aircraft. Once aboard, the passengers strapped in to taxi across the flightline to Camp Kabul.

"Welcome to Camp Kabul. You are now in the heart of Taliban territory and things could heat up around here at a moment's notice," said Senior Airman Christopher Sherfinski, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron. "It is my staff's job to get you guys prepared for your outside-the-wire mission and to do it with haste."

A fast 25-minute lunch break gave the honorary commanders and their guests an opportunity to try MREs, vacuum-sealed, individual field rations used in combat and other field conditions where dining facilities are not available. The visitors finished their day by receiving chemical warfare and military working dog demonstrations and learning the fundamentals of Self Aid and Buddy Care. Because of its paramount inportance, a crash course in improvised explosive devices showed the leaders what deployed servicemembers face on a daily basis.

"We hope today allowed our honorary commanders and their guests a hands-on chance to experience a bit of what our Airmen go through when they deploy," said Sergeant Wallace. "The association between base commanders and their honorary commanders is vital to foster and maintain healthy British-American relationships."