908th Airlift Wing jointly trains with 349th Air Mobility Wing

Senior Airman Juliana Todd

908TH AIRLIFT WING

Maxwell Air Force

BASE, Ala. — Personnel with the 25th Aerial Port Squadron partnered with the 312th Airlift Squadron and 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron during January’s Unit Training Assembly to complete vital readiness training.

The 349th Air Mobility Wing crew from Travis Air Force Base Jan. 6 on a C-5M Super Galaxy, which would be used for training the remainder of the weekend. The purpose of the total force team up was to have loadmasters from 312th Airlift Squadron train on their job skills while simultaneously training 25th Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialists on their skills.

“The success of this training mission was the result of months of planning, effective coordination and teaming with several other sections,” said Master Sgt. Joseph Saldivar, 25th Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialist. “Thanks to our functional manager and higher-level leadership, we were able to test and strengthen our belief in the system.”

Once Travis Air Force Base responded to the training request, the 25th Aerial Port Squadron began preparing for their arrival Jan. 6. They divided their manning capabilities into two teams. The morning shift was tasked with receiving all the equipment to process, select, inspect and weigh for a simulated outbound mission while the night shift staged the equipment for loading.

The air transportation specialists received a mass safety brief the morning of Jan. 7 from the C-5 crew members. Once the briefing concluded, the special ists participated in active on-load ing and off-loading of equipment to simulate in-bound, outbound and in-transit airlift missions. At the same time, the other air ter minal functions were inspecting, weighing and measuring vehicles and support equipment for air craft loading.

“This activity was exactly what we needed to engage our young team here at (the 25th Aerial Port Squadron),” Saldivar said. “As we prepare to meet cur rent taskings, it is critical to keep training ongoing. We are committed to advancing our airmen’s competency levels and providing them the opportunity to understand the environment they will be exposed to.”

Throughout the rest of the day, the passenger service section used the 908th Airlift Wing Development and Training Flight to manifest them as passengers on a simulated flight, while the aircrew reconfigured the plane and trained the 25th Aerial Port Squadron on using a next generation small loader to upload and offload three pieces of rolling stock. The training day culminated with a tie-down class provided

See TRAINS Page 12