JBER Pararescuemen train with Marines at Twentynine Palms

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Sgt. Cynthia Spalding
  • JBER Public Affairs
MCAGCC TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. --  Dust, dirt, Airmen and Marines ran through multiple strenuous real-world scenarios during Exercise Mojave Viper to prepare for their deployment together at Twentynine Palms, Calif., March 16.

"Its really great to get this opportunity to train with the Marines, to have the opportunity to see how they work, and for them to see how we will work in a joint environment before we deploy," said 1st Lt. Ben Leonard, HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopter pilot with the 210th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard.

This May, the 210th, 211th and 212th rescue squadrons and the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., will be deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

This training is necessary to not only provide a muscle memory for the Guardian Angel teams but also to strengthen the bond between sister services.

One such scenario they practiced involved convoy casualties with airborne rescues. The MV-22 Osprey landed, sand flying in every direction, the Marines loaded onto the aircraft, and then they took off. After landing in a sand and dirt field, they ran off almost blindly into the storm of sand around them and took cover. Slowly they pushed their way into the hostile zone covering one another's back. An improvised explosive device detonated.

Downed Marines were dragged to safety and a nine-line call was made. A "nine line" call is a call providing incident information and is made to the tactical operations center. The TOC then deployed two HH-60s with a Guardian Angel teams on board.

The team prepared for the incident based on the call received and tended to any patients that needed medical care. Guardian Angel is a career field comprised of Air Force pararescuemen, combat rescue officers and survival escape resistance evasion specialists.

The rotor blades whisked sand into the air as the pararescuemen exited the Pave Hawk to run to the Marines needing care. Whether they were on a litter or being carried by their fellow Marines, the PJs readied them for entry onto the helicopter. After the patients were hoisted or carried on board, the HH-60 took off and the Marines continued ground operations as the PJs provided medical attention in the air.

So why the need to train at Twentynine Palms?

"A critical part of our training is being proficient at brown out landings," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Bolin, 210th RQS commander. "The sand here is very fine and light, causing a severe dust cloud, called a 'brown out', that makes landing a very challenging team effort. We will face these conditions in Afghanistan, which is why it is critical for us to become proficient at these landings. We need to get in and out of the landing zone quickly, to minimize our exposure to the enemy."

There was somewhat of a language barrier between the Marines and the Airmen. The training afforded the opportunity needed for Airmen to familiarize themselves with common practices and operating procedures in order to keep Airmen and Marines on the same page.

"It's better for us to work out the language barriers in a training environment than to hear it for the first time in combat," Bolin said. "Trying to translate each other's jargon during high-risk rescue missions is confusing and wastes valuable time."

For example, a Marine would ask, "Are you going to do any TRAPs (tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel) today?" The Air Force refers to these missions as CSAR, or combat search and rescue. Knowing the other service's lingo went a long way when building a common understanding for mission success.

"It's definitely not as simple as it sounds." said Air Force Capt. Matt Kirby, combat rescue officer with the 212th RQS. "It's a combination of coordination with all units involved - timeliness in arrival for medical needs, accuracy of location, efficiency in getting to the patients on the ground, all while there's a tunnel of sand and sometimes bullets, flying around the helicopter. Since we will be in a hazardous location, dodging and preventing any further attacks as we try to get the patients, who need medical attention, out of the danger zone are also in the mix."

Building trust with the Marines was another advantage to this training. Pararescuemen need to be able to keep the patients from going into shock. Anything that can help, even if it's building a training relationship, is worth it.

"The biggest thing is that our Marines going out in theatre soon see the capabilities that the USAF rescue squadrons bring and how to ask for them," said Marine Lt. Col. Jason Pratt, lead evaluator with the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Tactical Training Exercise Control Group Air Department, Twentynine Palms. "For instance, the roof hoist we just did, one of the guys who was helping run the exercise said that he never knew they could do it until he saw it here. When he was in theatre before, this squadron was there too. He didn't ask for them because he didn't know about it."
Pratt said just having the Marines see them will help them understand the Guardian Angel capability for future operations.

"They know what they are doing and they know how to get it done quick," said Marine Pvt. Nicholas Lara, 8th Engineer Support Battalion. "This is the first time I've ever trained with the Air Force, but they've impressed me with what they know how to do and how they get it done. When I deploy it makes me comfortable knowing that someone is there that can actually take care of me and get me back home and get taken care of if I get messed up. Getting out there and training knowing that they can help me definitely build trust working with other services and not just my brother and sister marines."

The Airmen with the 210th, 211th and 212th rescue squadrons will continue to train back in Alaska with real-world scenarios before leaving for their deployment.

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