Exercise helps Offutt ensure combat readiness, prepare for ORI

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James M. Hodgman
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Here Airmen prepare for the worst. Gas masks, body armor and helmets are required gear. Soon, a wave of gun fire signals a new attack. Later, missiles and mortars are within striking distance. Alarms sound, the Giant Voice system alerts Airmen everywhere, it's time to fight back ... are you ready?

Offutt held an operational readiness exercise here July 24 - 26. The exercise offered Airmen a chance to practice responding to numerous situations in a combat environment. The exercise was also one of many designed to help prepare Team Offutt for an upcoming operational readiness inspection.

During the ORE, several attacks were launched against a mock air base simulating a deployed environment. The attacks included missiles, mortars and small arms fire. All of these simulated attacks required 55th Wing Airmen to respond quickly.

In one tent Airmen provided medical care to injured servicemembers. At several other locations, many Airmen put on gas masks to avoid inhaling toxic chemicals. In the command center, the commander assessed the situation and gave his orders.

This is all part of preparing for a combat environment, all part of being an expeditionary Airman. With thousands of Airmen and their fellow servicemembers deployed around the globe, exercises like this are vital to ensuring Airmen are ready for almost anything, said Col. Michael J. Allshouse, 55th Mission Support Group commander.

"Operational Readiness Exercises are important because they are 'dress rehearsals' for the real thing," Colonel Allshouse said. These exercises allow members of the Fightin' Fifty-Fifth to demonstrate their training and learn where their weaknesses are.

Capt. Stephen A. Kroft, a contract administrator with the 55th Contracting Squadron, was very busy during the ORE. As the Emergency Operations Center executive officer, he was responsible for ensuring attacks were properly catalogued, vehicle accountability was maintained and the location of unexploded ordinance was made known to everyone.

As an officer preparing for deployment, Captain Kroft said participating in each exercise has taught him a great deal.

"I've learned that communication and preparation are vital to everything we do," Captain Kroft said.

Also, every exercise is a little different than the one before it, so flexibility is also important. Maintaining a good attitude and moving with a sense of urgency can go a long way as well.

Although for some Airmen, maintaining a positive attitude during exercises may be difficult, Captain Kroft stressed doing so will benefit Offutt's warriors.

Having a positive attitude makes things much easier, Captain Kroft said. People get more accomplished when they approach tasks with a team concept, have a positive attitude and pitch in to help those around them.

While working in the command post, Captain Kroft said he saw the Fightin' Fifty-Fifth come together to accomplish the mission. No matter what the situation was, be it a communications outage or a missile attack, Team Offutt responded quickly, decisively and in a positive manner.

Doing so even made wearing gas masks and chemical gear much more bearable, Captain Kroft added.

Looking back at Offutt's most recent ORE, Colonel Allshouse said everyone should be impressed with the hard work Team Offutt put forth.

With this exercise, Offutt's Airmen demonstrated just how focused they are on being able to perform their assigned duties, more importantly, that they are ready to deploy and utilize their skills in contingency operations, Colonel Allshouse said.

With thousands of servicemembers deployed supporting numerous contingency operations around the globe and the unpredictable nature of war, its vital Airmen are prepared to react to any crisis. With each exercise, Offutt's warriors ensure they're ready to answer their nation's call, whenever that call may come, and wherever that call may take them.