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ACST: Learning how to avoid and deal with crap sandwich situations down range

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  As I stood in formation for graduation from the Advanced Contingency Skills Training at Fort Dix, N.J., I could not help but think about everything I had experienced and learned since stepping onto this sprawling Army post.

To be honest, I really did not know what to expect as I packed my bags for my pre-deployment training. Since the reporting instructions recommended knee and elbow pads I knew I could kiss my desk job good-bye. But what I did not know was that I would be learning to low-crawl while moving a patient on a litter or how to detect a possible improvised explosive device.

Just a day after the 249 of my Air Force brethren and I were assigned to flights, we were asked to step far from our day-to-day roles; leaving behind a comfortable office work environment while embracing the great outdoors. The instructors of the 421st Combat Training Squadron expected their students to give one hundred percent on everything since the training they provide could save a life, possibly even one of theirs.

The realization that the information about how to properly apply a tourniquet or even how to safely exit a hummvee could be a skill that I would need while deployed was a bit odd at first. While a "normal" PA deployment would not require these skills, this time I may have to use them. I am going to be part of a three-person traveling news team, designed to tell the story of Airmen who might not normally be reached by a public affairs office. For me, this deployment will be helicopters, hummvees and a laptop. No desk here.

Most days we met first thing in the crisp, cool morning. In a matter of days the instructors had begun transforming the way we thought, acted and even how we reacted to situations. The first step they took to do this was issuing everyone an M-16. Familiarization with this weapon was a critical part of the training. Even after spending about 11 days with the M-16 almost always at my side, it is still not a weapon that I like; however, I can now say that the M-16 is a weapon that I am comfortable with. Amid green "canned smoke" we used the weapons while learning how to perform tactics. We were given blank rounds and taught how to move and take cover with the weapon. We held our weapons tight as we were in 10 hummvees lined up for convoy training. The first time I dropped to take cover, I hit my face hard on the carrying handle, but by time the training was over, it felt odd not carrying my weapon home every day.

In an environment like this, it's amazing how the little things grow to mean so much. The instructors quickly put us in the mind set that hot chow was a reward for hard work. If we were able to show that we understood a concept and how to apply it, we could anticipate a hot lunch or dinner. If we did not, then we could expect to dine on a meal ready to eat. Anyone who has ever had a cheese omelet in a brown pouch or an enchilada with a shelf-life of up to 10 years knows how hard people will push themselves to avoid an MRE.

Regardless of the mud caked in the holes of my web belt, as well as the swollen ant bites that cover my hands, I had a great time during ACST.

The bumps and bruises we acquired during training served a purpose, since the pain that came with them normally carried a simple message: you did something wrong. Some lumps came from an instructor's paint ball rounds letting you know that you need to watch spacing within your fire team. Some blotches were from rounds fired by "insurgents" to show-off the fact that we failed to notice them, and yet other colorful disfigurations were the marks of inattentiveness, hits from friendly forces.

While we were never in a life or death situation when there were explosions going off and gunfire coming from all directions, it certainly got your adrenaline pumping. In the end, you do things you did not know you were capable of. As my four man fire team spent time together riding around in a hummvee looking for IEDs, it almost became second nature to see flags identifying where the danger lay or to talk on the radio in command terms.

I know I am still not trained to the degree that Special Forces go to, but it makes me feel good to know I will not be a liability to my team on a convoy or, heaven forbid, if the convoy ends up in the middle of a "crap sandwich situation," a term some of the instructors liked to use. My first deployment was to Iraq in 2004 for four months and I didn't get this much training. Now I'm out for six months and I'll be well out of my comfort zone behind a desk. I am confident, however, in my ability to help my team members and I know that they are going to be able to do the same for me.
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