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Show H,I;top Lmes MISSION. June 21, 1991 ' Vi is $. vV?-- i , r . o- - ' :n V Bush tactics A1C William Norris, an interior electrician in the 2849th Civil Engineering Squadron, peers out from a position dura ing training session provided by the 2849th Security Police Squadron. well-conceale- d 111 I .Jiuuu- V P " . " ... 1( V.'.'. '?.v 4 , - - : - "v-f fc i r- n V - 1 fi - i r:n n.H" 4 s " , ' v. Muss. -- , 'ill e j U.S. Air Force Photoi by Ralph Leue Ready, aim... SSgt. Lorenzo Razo, above, interior electrician, draws a bead on his target. Left, TSgt. Jeff Clouse, Prime BEEF manager, his face covered by sunglasses and a black mask, throws a simulated grenade at the enemy. 0 11 G fhnain by Donna Davis Hilltop Times staff writer The 2849th Civil Engineering Squadron's Base Emergency Engineer Forces, back from Desert Storm since March, now know how to defend their own turf. Squadron members believe that one lesson learned in the Middle East was the need for the civil engineers, who build a temporary base during a hostile encounter, to be trained in defending their own area of responsibility, said TSgt. Joseph Bleicher of the CE readiness branch. Training of 350 members of the Hill AFB "Prime BEEF" unit to defend themselves was completed team from the 2849th Seculast week by a two-ma- n rity Police Squadron. In the past, the security police would "sweep and clear" an area. Then the carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other professionals that comprise a civil engineering unit would move in and build an entire base headquarters to latrines and everything in between. "After the area was secured, they (the security police) would continue to protect our perimeter while we built," said TSgt. Bleicher, who was trained by SSgt. Terry Woods and TSgt. Chuck Riesser of the SP's training section. Civil engineering units will, in future conflicts, be required to maintain their own site security after an area is clear. "If there is a shortfall of security police to secure an area, the Prime BEEF unit will augment our forces," said Sergeant Riesser. "Another benefit is that the CE personnel are now trained to sweep and clear an area." Training included "digging in and getting shot at while securing the area," said the instructor. "We used a demonstrationperformance lecture action technique in the morning and an in the afternoon. The Prime BEEF airmen and noncommissioned officers were assigned an area in the northern part of the base. They then had to defend it from an aggressor trying to take the area away," said the sergeant. Hand-helexplosive devices were used to simulate grenade and mortar attack. Participants also wore harnesses that recorded direct hits and close calls from rifles fitted with lasers. These Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems proved ld d M-1- 6 realistic and effective. "A lot of attitudes were changed by the training. The MILES equipment also warns that you're in someone's line of sight that you're out and visible. Knowing you would have been dead does a lot to convince a person to get serious about cover and concealment," said Sergeant Bleicher. The sergeant said he believed this kind of training improves morale and team spirit, even for future situations where the security police are still performing the primary defensive maneuvers. "If everyone has a better understanding of just what's being done for them by the security police, it adds to the team spirit, the team effort. Teamwork is the whole issue," he said. The instructors agreed. "I think it does instill a lot of pride in the job when you're prepared. The training day is a long one starting at 6 a.m. and it's usually after 5 p.m. when they're cleaning their weapons. They're exhausted, but they're enlightened. They've gained skills, of course, but they also have a lot of new insight into the seriousness of the mission we all have to be ready to perform on a moment's notice," said Sergeant Riesser. |
