Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
Vol. 7, No. 21
Patriot Joint Base Charleston: ‘Launch Point For The Nation's Resolve’
November 18, 2016
Molly Qerim, ESPN First Take host, is joined by Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and Darius Rucker, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, broadcasting live here as part of their week of Veteran’s Day program, Nov. 7, 2016. Every year ESPN First Take honors service members near Veterans Day by telecasting their show from a different base and highlights service members who go above and beyond in their career. See more photos at www.charleston.af.mil.
ESPN takes on Joint Base Charleston
Story and photos by Airman Megan Munoz Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – ESPN honored nearly 300 service members from Joint Base Charleston by broadcasting a top-rated morning sports talk show live from the base Nov. 7, 2016. Each year, ESPN telecasts an episode of First Take on a different military base around Veterans Day as part of their America's Heroes tribute, accoding to ESPN producer Antoine Lewis. “We think it is important to honor America’s military men and women," said Lewis. "It is also a great experience for us to interact with and entertain the troops.” Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim were joined by Darius Rucker, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, and an audience of Joint Base Charleston service members as the hosts discussed sports topics of the day. “They were very entertaining,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick O’Brien, 628th Communications Squadron information systems technician. “I’ve seen the show a few times and
it was great to see ESPN coming out and supporting us for Veterans Day.” During the program Smith, Kellerman and Qerim discussed various sports subjects and debated football and basketball related questions from the audience. “It was greatly appreciated that ESPN came out to support our military,” said Sgt. First Class Damon Holland, 841st Transportation Battalion operations NCO in charge. “It was a lot of fun to see the show and we all had a good time.” Along with service members from the Air Force, Navy, Army and Coast Guard in the audience, the show set highlighted Team Charleston’s joint mission with static displays including a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, a Humvee, a 628th Security Forces Squadron harbor patrol boat, a 628th SFS patrol car and an 841st Transportation Battalion rail car. “On behalf of our service members, civil servants and their families representing the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines and Coast Guard, I would like to thank First Take for visiting the Lowcountry to salute America’s heroes serving across the globe,” said Col. Robert Lyman, JB Charleston commander.
Members of Team Charleston cheer during ESPN’s First Take television program being broadcasted live here as part of First Take’s week of Veteran’s Day program, Nov. 7, 2016.
Joint Base Charleston conducts local combat skills training course By Staff Sgt. Marianique Santos 1st Combat Camera Squadron
INSIDE
Keeping Charleston airspace safe
MACA
Page 4
Squadrons return from deployment
Coast Guard trains for rescue operations
HOMECOMING OVERBOARD Page 9
Next Issue of the Patriot: December 2, 2016
U.S. Air Force photo / Staff Sgt. Andrea Salazar
Joint Base Charleston Airmen carry a litter with a simulated casualty during the first JB Charleston Combat Skills Training course here recently. The intent of CST is to ensure Airmen possibly deploying to hostile theaters in support of the joint service operations have the knowledge, skills and abilities to survive and support the mission in and out of combat. See more photos, Page 5.
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – Fourteen Airmen from various units here participated in a locally developed combat skills training course (CST) recently at McCrady Army National Guard Training Center, Eastover, South Carolina. This was the first evolution of the course, the “proof of concept,” with plans to make it enduring in the future. The course provides actual field training to Airmen deploying to locations that do not require attendance to U.S. Air Force sanctioned in-residence combat skills training. “We wanted to make sure our warriors were ready for anything when they deploy. Now that hands-on training isn't mandatory for most career fields before deployments, we decided to get back to basics and come up with a modified field craft training course to make sure we are prepared to the fullesst extent before heading downrange,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Robert Lyman, 628th Air Base Wing commander. South Carolina Army National Guard’s Pre-mobilization Training Assistance Element (PTAE) conducted the course. The instructors trained Airmen in various skills, to include land navigation, rifle marksmanship, reacting to enemy contact, small squad movement and treating and evacuating casualties. The tried and true Army concept of “Shoot, Move, Communicate, Medicate, and Survive” was used throughout the course.
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“A lot of it was self-discovery, accountability and situational awareness,” said U.S. Army Guard Staff Sgt. Michael McCall, South Carolina Army National Guard PTAE instructor. “We directly instructed them in certain parts of the training but they also learned by realizing if they made certain decisions, they had to deal with the possible outcomes.” On the last day, during the Airmen’s final training mission, the instructors used smoke bombs, simulated artillery rounds and even posed as opposing forces. “We can train all day in the classroom with no pressure but by adding realism to the equation, the student is more likely to perform what they learned in training when facing high-stress situations,” McCall said. The four-day training was made possible by the combined effort of multiple units on base, included the 628th Mission Support Group, 628th Security Forces Squadron, 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 628th Force Support Squadron, and 628th Comptroller Squadron to name a few. At the conclusion of the training course a robust after action review was conducted to determine areas of potential improvement. “We did a hot wash right after finishing the training to make sure everything was fresh in everyone’s minds. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ralph “E.T.” Taylor, 628th Mission Support Group deputy commander and JB lead for this project.” See Combat Skills Training, Page 5
WEEKEND WEATHER UPDATE for Joint Base Charleston, SC
Friday, November 18
Sunny (10% precip)
High 77º Low 51º
Mostly Sunny
Saturday, November 19
(10% precip)
High 77º Low 42º
Extended Forecast
Sunny Sunday, November 20
(0% precip)
High 61º Low 36º
Mon. - November 21 62°/38° - Sunny (0%) Tue. - November 22 65°/43° - Mostly Sunny (0%) Wed. - November 23 71°/47° - Partly Cloudy (10%) Thur. - November 24 70°/43° - Mostly Sunny (10%) Fri. - November 25 64°/41° - Partly Cloudy (10%)
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