JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
U.S. Air Force Airmen deploy to
austere locations across the globe every year in support Air Force, Joint and Coalition
missions.
The 633rd Security Forces Squadron’s
mission to maintain a worldwide deployable combat force; delivering a
professional and integrated defense force anytime and anywhere.
But it’s up to the 633rd SFS combat
arms training and maintenance instructors keep the battlefield Airmen at Joint
Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, mission ready for all possible scenarios,
including night operations.
“It is compulsory for battlefield
Airmen to fire at night because of the importance of acclimating to the
environment while using the equipment,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Murat
Elahi, 633rd SFS CATM NCO in charge. “When you have these two things meshed
together, you have an Airman who will be better able to meet the needs of the
combatant commander.”
During this training, the Airmen
get mechanical training on how to mount, don and troubleshoot equipment such as
the night vision goggles and the aiming laser.
The technology today makes things
more comfortable and user friendly, but knowing how to wear the gear and be
practical in the battlefield cannot be undermined, according to U.S. Air Force
Tech. Sgt. Julius Taylor, 633rd SFS CATM instructor. All these aspects are
trained to become second nature, almost like breathing.
When the Airmen are down range, the
equipment used during night operations won’t feel foreign because they are not
using it for the first time, they have practiced and are ready to execute the
mission.
“We get letters all the time from
our Airmen down range saying ‘thank you for teaching me how to use my weapon
properly’ or ‘thank you for teaching me how to use my equipment properly,’”
Taylor said.
He believes the only thing that
should be on an Airman’s mind is how to accomplish the mission, not how to use
their gear.
“Here at combat arms we pride
ourselves in giving the best quality of training possible; we are not just out
at the gun range all the time, while in the classroom we’re instructors and
motivators,” Taylor said. “People need to realize that we are not just doing
this to interrupt anybody, it serves a purpose. We want to send our guys down range
with the best equipment and the best training possible to do their mission and
be successful.”