Eglin send security forces Airmen to Iraq in style

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Meares
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A wall of red shirts makes its way through a crowd of 97 Airmen preparing to board an aircraft and make the journey over the Atlantic Ocean bound for the Middle East.

The Red Shirt Brigade, a group of volunteers from the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and members of the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, including Mike Anderson, Fort Walton Beach mayor, all showed up Dec. 18 to show their support for the men and women deploying to Iraq.

A "hoorah" interrupted the silent pause during a speech by Col. Bruce McClintock, 96th Air Base Wing commander, from one of the visitors standing on the side of the seated Airmen in the crowded auditorium. The colonel spoke about the contributions of the Airmen deploying and the appreciation he had for their duty. The mayor followed the colonel's words with a message for the Airmen: "We appreciate what you do. Stay safe."

"We represent a small portion of the nation that appreciates what you do," said Mayor Anderson. "This is just a snapshot of the appreciation we have for the troops."

Christine Cook and her son, of the Red Shirt Brigade, were among the visitors to show their support handing out care packages with decks of playing cards, 10-minute phone cards and coupon books.

"I'm proud of them," said 7-year-old Samuel Cook. "I bet they are really brave in the military."

The community wanted to show their support in any way they could. The security forces Airmen preparing to deploy with the holiday season right around the corner welcomed the farewell opportunity since their families could not be there.

"We think it's an honor to come out and see the troops off," said Ms. Cook. "Security forces calls us every other week, bless their hearts."

Master Sgt. Shane Murray, 36th Security Forces Squadron, Anderson AFB, Guam, appreciates the outward show of appreciation during events like this. He thinks the Airmen deserve to know that they are appreciated.

"It's very cool," he said. "These guys put in a lot of hard work to deploy."

The hard work begins at the training sites before they deploy. Not all the Airmen present attended the Air Force Materiel Command sponsored training Brave Defender, though they all went through similar types of training that prepares security forces members for success in the field.

The training at Eglin, conducted by 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron, provides combat skills training for AFMC and Air Force Special Operations Command security forces Airmen. When they arrive, trainees split up into five distinctive tracks: headquarters, leadership, force protection technology, communications specialist and designated marksman.

"This course is designed to give security forces the decision-making tools and up-to-date techniques needed to succeed in a fluid, fast-paced combat environment," said Tech. Sgt. Howard Stahl, 96th GCTS.

Once each Airman has gone through the necessary training in the classroom and field, he applies what he learned in a joint exercise. The field training exercise tests students' courage in an austere environment.

"Training is training," said Airman 1st Class Stephen Hanks, Offutt AFB, Neb. "It prepares us for the some of the things we are up against."

To provide realism, the exercise covers the entire area of operation. This requires students to look beyond the tactical base perimeter and factor in the entire battle space.

They must prepare, manage, equip and support missions that range from convoys to reconnaissance and combat patrols. After four days of leading the battle, the headquarters students supervise the tear-down and pack-up of weapons and equipment as the entire student body prepares to graduate.

It's the training that prepares them to take on the challenges of the deployed environment. In the hours before they begin their journey, they appreciate the outpour of support from people not involved with the military. When they get home, they will most likely meet the same outpour of appreciation from an appreciative nation.