LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
It was a quiet, sunny day at Langley Air Force Base, Va, April 20, 2012; the peaceful kind of quiet where the signs of spring were easily noticed and appreciated in everyday life.
It was the calm before the storm.
"Alarm Red, MOPP 4! Alarm Red, MOPP 4!"
The voice echoed throughout the base as Airmen dove under their desks, instinctively reaching for their M-50 gas masks in preparation for an imminent chemical attack. Within seconds, every Airman was wearing full mission oriented protective posture gear as they waited for the poisonous substance to rain down on them.
Fortunately, no one was killed as a result of this attack. It was all part of a weeklong, combined phase I and II operational readiness exercise which tested Airmen, from the 633rd Air Base Wing, 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing, and their ability to prepare for and deploy to a simulated combat zone.
"This is the Super Bowl of tests for the combat wings," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Rhett Hierlmeier, 1st FW Chief of Plans, Programs and Evaluations. "We don't do OREs just to pass inspections, but rather to prepare, train and evaluate our ability to fight in future conflicts."
While the base is scheduled for an Operational Readiness Inspection in December 2013, Hierlmeier said the focus of these exercises should be preparing Airmen to respond to the worst case scenario - to face and overcome an enemy who is on-par with or stronger than the United States.
"Ultimately one day we will be tested by a determined adversary who really wants to take it to us," he said. "We need to test ourselves in the toughest environment we can imagine, and be very critical of our performance so we can improve."
For Airmen at JBLE, this nightmare scenario involved positioning themselves, employing forces, sustaining combat operations and surviving and operating in a hostile region. They were tasked to do their daily jobs while dealing with and responding to chemical, biological, air and ground attacks from a well-trained, highly-organized force.
"You have a mission to do," said Chief Master Sgt. David Lapp, 1st FW Plans, Programs and Evaluations superintendent. "You need to be able to do it without distraction. The ORE is the closest way we have to demonstrate what we do downrange - without actually going."
Lapp said while the repetitious donning of MOPP gear can be mundane and uncomfortable, it provides Airmen with the ability to change their perspective and truly embrace the valuable training the exercise affords.
"Airmen need to focus on the mission and ask themselves: what is my job? What is the level of intensity I need to bring to the fight, and how can I sustain that level of intensity?" Hierlmeier said. "They need to let go of their 'garrison mindset' and adopt an expeditionary one."
According to Hierlmeier, a garrison mindset is meant to sustain Airmen during peacetime and training. The expeditionary mindset changes their focus to a wartime mentality, where completing the mission is paramount. He said throughout the OREs, Airmen should become more comfortable and efficient with the transition between the two mentalities.
"We drop the 'prepare to deploy order' 30 days before the exercise," Hierlmeier said. "At that moment, Airmen should begin transitioning from garrison to expeditionary mindset. When the recall happens, they should already be ready to go."
Col. Kevin Mastin, 1st Fighter Wing vice commander, agreed with Hierlmeier's assessment about the level of intensity Airmen should bring to future exercises.
"I thought our guys did a really good job, and as we continue to train I want to see our Airmen have a 'bring it' mindset during future exercises," Mastin said. "They should be so well-prepared that nothing in either the exercise or inspection will cause them to miss a step."
Mastin said these exercises are truly the best way to gauge the deployment readiness of JBLE Airmen.
"It's the final exam before someone leaves high school, or the last big test in college," he said. "They have studied, learned and prepared for success in life. The ORE and ORI is that final exam the wing needs to complete in order to show they are prepared for success in combat. It verifies our abilities. You can study, read and talk all you want, but until you do it for real, you will never know how good you are."
For Tech. Sgt. Angela Biggs, 633rd Surgical Operations Squadron Women's Health NCO-in charge, the reality of her training came while she was deployed to the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team, Afghanistan, as a medic attached to the U.S. Army's 182nd Infantry Regiment. On Aug. 28, 2011, her world was thrown into chaos when the base was hit by a 400-pound, vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, small-arms fire and two suicide bombers.
"It was very fast," she said. "I was walking outside, about 60-meters from where the blast happened. I remember a large wave of air knocking me down. There was shrapnel everywhere. I was lucky to not have been hit."
When Biggs recovered from the blast she scanned the area for casualties and discovered two soldiers had been injured in the attack. Immediately, she rushed to their aid.
"My first thought was 'who was hurt and how many people were hurt?'" she said. "The whole place had pretty much exploded. I was worried about my friends - who had become my new family. It's excruciating and devastating to think they might be hurt."
Biggs said she felt her training take over, automatically.
"The training really does kick in," she said. "In a situation like that you go with what you were taught. If you practice enough, it becomes muscle memory."
Having recently returned from her deployment, Biggs said she was glad to see Airmen in the ORE practicing the training she had just utilized in the real world.
"All of the training pays off," Biggs said. "You will use the training you practice during OREs when you deploy. It's important to know how to load and carry a litter during an ORE, so you can do it downrange. If you practice hard now it speeds up the process when it really counts. You can save someone's mother, son or brother."
While not every Airman will have the opportunity to prove themselves in combat the way Biggs did, it is important for them to have the skills ready - in case they are needed. Col. Korvin Auch, 633rd ABW commander, stressed the importance of Airmen using the ORE as means to validate their skills.
"These exercises are more than just a metric which evaluates the deployment readiness of our Airmen," Auch said. "They are an opportunity to hone our skills so we can effectively operate in any deployed environment. We need to train to fight the next war, not the war in which we're currently engaged."
With that direction and a reinforced emphasis on intense training, JBLE Airmen are left preparing for the next ORE, using the words of U.S. Army Gen. George S. Patton as guidance and motivation.
"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war."