SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen assigned to the 606th Air Control Squadron, carry simulated casualties to a safe location during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The combat readiness training ensured that participants were able to perform medical and survival skills in a stressful environment before they are capable of deploying. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron listen to instructors after a scenario Nov. 15, 2012. This training gives 606th Airmen an opportunity to experience their new combat roles and prepares them for deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Amanda Bailey, 606th Air Control Squadron operator Cocoa Beach, Fla., mans a defense fighting position during the field exercise portion of the squadron's combat readiness training near Perimeter Road Nov. 15, 2012. The three-week combat readiness training consists of classroom training and a 72 hour field operations exercise that test the Airmen mentally and physically to ensure they are capable of deploying. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron search a suspect for weapons and communications equipment during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The three-week combat readiness training consists of classroom training and a 72-hour field operations exercise that test the Airmen mentally and physically to ensure they are capable of deploying. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron try to pinpoint the source of gunfire outside the perimeter of their base during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The training tested the Airmen’s ability to defend their base through use of force, cultural awareness, indirect fire, and unexploded ordnance scenarios. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – An Airman assigned to the 606th Air Control Squadron searches an enemy combatant for weapons during combat readiness training Nov. 14, 2012. The various field exercise scenarios prepare Airmen for a broad range of likely situations ranging from treating wounded comrades to combat communications defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. John Francis, 606th Air Control Squadron executive officer from Colorado Springs, Colo., puts on his M50 gas mask during the squadron's combat readiness training Nov. 14, 2012. The Airmen are required to complete a three-week combat readiness training course before they are eligible to deploy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Casualties from a simulated detonated improvised explosive device lay on the ground inside the perimeter of the 606th Air Control Squadron’s base during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. During the training instructors try to overwhelm the 606th Airmen with worst-case scenarios, which helps prepare them for real-world operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron take cover from gunfire during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The 606th is a rapidly-deployable combat unit that can convoy to remote locations and control allied air assets during contingency operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron listen to instructors after a scenario Nov. 15, 2012. The weather made for wet and miserable conditions as the Airmen endured 72 straight-hours of realistic combat training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron discuss base defense procedures inside a makeshift command post as their base is attacked during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The training prepares Airmen for real-world contingency operations around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Babak Kermanshahi, 606th Air Control Squadron trainer from Jacksonville, Fla., stands after a training scenario where he detonated a simulated improvised explosive device inside the base during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The trainees searched him on the base after detaining him, which gave him an opportunity to take out as many people as he could. The training provides a controlled platform for the trainees, so they can learn from mistakes they make without real-world retribution. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Robert Brown, 606th Air Control Squadron radio frequency transmissions operator from Rochester, Ind., guards the base inside a makeshift defensive fighting position during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The 606th has many support Air Force specialty codes, which means many of its Airmen have never gone through any sort of combat training. This training gives 606th Airmen an opportunity to experience their new combat roles and prepares them for deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Babak Kermanshahi, 606th Air Control Squadron trainer from Jacksonville, Fla., stands after a training scenario where he detonated a simulated improvised explosive device inside the base during combat readiness training Nov. 15, 2012. The trainees searched him on the base after detaining him, which gave him an opportunity to take out as many people as he could. The training provides a controlled platform for the trainees, so they can learn from mistakes they make without real-world retribution. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon/Released)
by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
11/20/2012 - SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Crack, crack, crack.
A whirlwind of excitement and confusion spurred around the camp. Gunfire echoed through the tents as the Airmen scrambled to find cover.
They peered out from the safety of makeshift bunkers as they searched for the source of the sound.
Reports flooded across the radio of a team outside the wire with an unconscious young captain in tow.
"Get positive control of the casualty and return to base immediately," came across the radio.
Just then, the alarm for incoming mortar fire sounded, and the Airmen outside the perimeter hit the ground and braced for an explosion.
The cold, soggy ground quickly turned to mud and the wind managed to cut through the bundles of layers, uniforms and chemical protective gear they wore. Water engulfed one poor Airman as he dove for the ground and landed in a puddle of water, the cold of which he would have to endure for the next 12 hours.
Although this was a controlled scenario and not in an actual combat environment, Airmen from the 606th Air Control Squadron spent 72 hours braving the frigid German weather and spending every minute of it guarding their base to prepare them for the real thing.
The exercise prepares them for the worst, said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Messing, a Bremerton, Wash., native who runs the combat readiness training course these Airmen experienced.
The course combined two weeks of classroom instruction with three days of practical exercise. The trainees set up a bare base camp and defended it at all costs, surviving scenario after scenario from the instructors and mock enemy combatants.
"They can set up in the middle of nowhere, deploy a radar site and have to defend their own base," said Messer.
It is the physical application of every lesson learned in the past two weeks, and they must react accordingly to exercises by implementing proper use of force, securing unexploded ordnance and being aware of their surroundings.
The field training is meant to overwhelm the trainees, creating a sort of stress inoculation, Messing said. It is also unique because the 606th has a lot of support Airmen who normally would not deal with combat or austere deployments.
"Not everyone gets training like security forces, but when these Airmen come to an [air control squadron], you have to learn how to fight and defend the objective," he said. "If they can survive here with what we throw at them, they have a better chance when the real thing happens."
The 606th is a rapidly deployable unit that can quickly pack up and convoy to any location in the European theater to set up radar sites and control air assets from strategic remote locations. Because the unit is self-sufficient, it needs everyone at the same combat capacity. Every new member must complete the training.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Amanda Bailey, a data systems technician from Cocoa Beach, Fla., has never dealt with training like this, but enjoyed working with other Airmen from around the squadron with whom she would not normally work and learning critical skills that may be used in the future.
"You're going to mess up, but the beauty of it is that it's a controlled learning environment," she said.