Guard battles aggressors, heat in Hog Heaven

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Bob Oldham
  • 189th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  Fighting off enemy attacks and the humid Arkansas heat, about 230 Airmen from the Arkansas Air National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing proved they were combat ready last weekend.

Airmen from across the wing packed up their gear, shuffled through a mobility processing line, hopped on C-130s and landed at the Christmas tree area of the base for a two-and-a-half day mobility exercise, called Hog Heaven.

"I think the wing did very well," said Lt. Col. Louis Teer, a 154th Training Squadron pilot and deployed commander for the exercise. "We got a lot of good practice for the [upcoming operational readiness inspection next April]."

A highlight, the colonel said, was seeing the 189th Security Forces Squadron incorporate with a New Zealand security forces team to help defend the deployed location from aggressors. The New Zealand forces were here at the base for a Joint Readiness Training Center exercise. The timing of both exercises allowed the Guard and the New Zealand forces to work together.

The New Zealand security forces, coupled with aggressive tactics, kept the base from being overrun on the last day.

"We talked about this during a 45-minute meeting [Sunday] night," the colonel said. "I called all of the commanders from the different sections in and we just sat down and talked. The theme of that talk was, defend the Alamo, and we did it. We did it very well."

Between attacks, members focused on accounting for personnel, self aid and buddy care and doing their Air Force-trained job.

Part of their job was to build a tent city from the ground up on day one. As temperatures climbed into the 90s in the afternoon heat, Airmen buckled but didn't falter as tent after tent was erected. The colonel called a 30-minute time out, allowing Airmen to catch their breath and recover from the humid heat.

A dedicated team of support personnel ensured the Airmen in the exercise had plenty of water to stay hydrated and a medical team was on site to tend to any real world incidents.

One Airman on Saturday was taken from the play area by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of chest pains. He was released from the hospital later that evening. A couple others required intravenous fluids to facilitate re-hydration.

"People learned a lot about a deployment," the colonel said.

He said he enjoyed the opportunity to work with all the different organizations from services and security forces to personnel and communications. As a pilot, he doesn't interact with those organizations on a daily basis. He relied on an aircrew term - crew resource management and situational awareness - to help guide him through the deployment.

From an evaluator's perspective, Maj. Daren Dickson, the wing's plans chief, said the Guard Airmen were effective. He acknowledged that day one was brutal. Airmen showed up for work at 6 a.m. and were in the field shortly after Noon on Saturday. By Saturday evening, the day's activities combined with the heat had taken their toll.

Sunday morning brought cooler temperatures and a renewed spirit among the deployed members. Later that day, rain showers and lightning moved in, halting the exercise for about an hour and a half.

On Monday, the scenario called for a chemical attack with an all-out assault to follow. The chemical attack caused members to don their chemical warfare defense suits. Once the chemical threat was gone, the assault was on. The colonel's plan to neutralize the aggressors was successful; allowing some in the play area not normally tasked with base defense a chance to fire their M-16 rifles.

For those who hadn't fired, their chance came when they had to expend blank rounds before they could clean their rifles and turn them back in for storage.

Exercise Hog Heaven showcased the teamwork and talent of the 189th AW, how it integrates into the Air Force as a whole, and its contributions to the war on terror by providing mission ready people.