Reservists train at Duke Field (with photos)
DUKE FIELD — A weekend exercise that sharpened skills also set the agenda for the next year.
Air Force reservists covered everything from self aid to buddy care and reconnaissance during the two-day event at Duke Field, which quickly identified the skills they would review in the near future.
Senior Master Sgt. Leonard Jordan and Master Sgt. Andy Otero joined the Air Force in 1986 and have been reservists for 14 and 15 years, respectively. They came into the reserves with at least 10 years under their belts. These days, they are the exception.
View a photo gallery from the training exercises »
Duke has seen an increase in reservists entering immediately after high school or while attending college. The annual exercise gave experienced reservists an opportunity to teach the new guys.
With only 24 days a year dedicated to being a reservist, the annual two-day review is one of the biggest training sessions of the year for the Special Operations reservists.
They traveled in groups of five or six from one station to the next in their version of an obstacle course. They were given a scenario and coached through the assignments before they sprang into action.
“I just jumped on him like a spider monkey,” said Tech. Sgt. Candice Wahowski after completing an enemy prisoner of war search during one of the drills.
Holding rubber guns, Wahowski and her team neutralized two enemies in their fire-on-fire field training exercise. The reservists were evaluated on their performance and then moved to the next obstacle, where they put protractors, maps and compasses to use on a reconnaissance mission.
In this age of smart weapons and technology, Jordan said fundamental skills such as preparing range cards and working with protractors are vital.
“We’re still using range cards down range. If you don’t practice that stuff, you perish,” he said.
Some of the “citizen soldiers” have put their skills to use in recent months. Airmen from Duke Field were involved in Haiti relief. Others are taking part in exercises in South Korea or are deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“I’ve seen more of the world as a reservist than I did on active duty,” Otero said.
While assigned to Duke, Otero has been to Egypt, Jordan, Spain, El Salvador, Belize, England and Kuwait.
The travel has a trade-off. Otero said the balance between his family and civilian job in Georgia and his reservist duty has been stressful.
Lt. Col. Chris Simpson has been a reservist for 20 years. He enjoys it so much that he said he will be a reservist for as long as he can. The weekend exercise was an example of what Simpson enjoys about being a reservist.
“I personally enjoy doing just what we’re doing here,” Simpson said. “We’re teaching the younger groups the tricks of the trade.”
