After 10 minutes in my Air Force issued flack jacket, my shoulders began to scream with pain.
Friday, Nov. 6, was Phase 2 of the Hill Air Force Base Operational Readiness Exercise, a training drill that happens three times per year and prepares Airman for combat deployments, possible terrorist threats to the base, and an annual Air Force inspection.
To get a first-hand look at what goes on during the exercise and get a small taste of what Airmen go through during combat situations, I suited up with Hill's Security Forces Squadron. The team is made up of active duty members, from the 75th SFS, and Reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing counterpart. My outfit included a full chemical protection suit, gas mask, combat boots and helmet, and a 50-pound flak jacket, or armored vest.
The first two questions I asked Capt. David Geiger, a member of the 75th SFS, were, "How do you walk around with all this gear on?" and, "Is it normal to be in this much pain?"
Geiger, who has deployed to both Korea and Iraq, did his best not to laugh and told me I'd grow accustomed to the heavy gear.
"You get used to it," he said. "It eventually becomes a second skin. I mean, after a few days of wearing the gear, when you finally take it off, you almost feel naked without it."
During the drill, I witnessed a mock missile attack and a mock chemical attack.Airmen scrambled to get their gas masks on in less than eight seconds after an eerie alarm alerted them they had been hit with chemical agents.
"It's important that you learn how to get comfortable in these masks," said Col. Patrick Higby, commander of Hill's 75th Air Base Wing. "You might have it on for three, four or five hours. You want to be calm and collected and try to breathe evenly. You don't want to be sucking rubber."
After the mock missile and chemical attacks, I got to the highlight of the day -- shooting a fully automatic machine gun, something I've never done before.
I shot an M-4, and an M-240 -- blank rounds, of course. The M-4 is a small assault rifle carried by troops in combat, basically a smaller, lighter version of the M-16, but capable of the same firepower. It was fun to shoot, but nothing like the M-240.
The M-240 is a belt-fed, gas operated machine gun used by the United States armed forces since the mid- 980s. It reminded me of something you would see in one of those old school Rambo movies.
The recoil, or "kick" wasn't bad at all. When I first started shooting, I was firing one round at a time.
I heard one of the Airmen standing behind me say, "Does he know he can let it rip?" That's when I realized I was holding a fully automatic weapon. Instead of squeezing the trigger once and letting up, I held it down and watched hot, spent cartridges fly in the air.
Higby said after about 200 rapid-fire rounds, the barrel can begin to melt.
Over the entire week of war scenarios, a total of 1,069 Airmen participated, including F-16 pilots from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, who have been flying sorties day and night at the Utah Test and Training Range.
Higby said the drill, which takes place in a large area on the base's southeast corner called the Base Operational Readiness and Training Area, is designed to be as close to real conditions as possible.
"The idea is to create as harsh, chaotic and stressful an environment for these guys as we can," Higby said. "We don't want the first time they experience this to be in a real world situation. We want to make it as realistic as possible out here, so when they encounter it during a deployment, they've already been through it."
When the day was done, I gladly stripped off my chemical suit, helmet and flak jacket and walked away with a greater appreciation for what Airmen go through during combat deployments.
By the way, my shoulders are still sore.
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