Hurlburt hosts joint weapons training

by Senior Airman Kentavist P. Brackin
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

6/20/2014 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla.  -- Airmen from the 4th Special Operations Squadron and soldiers from the 20th Special Forces Group conducted joint weapons training on Eglin Range, Fla., June 2 through 13.

The two-week training was designed to strengthen Air-Army interoperability and promote camaraderie between the two services.

"It's great that the Army and Air Force came together and provided this because we don't typically get this kind of training unless we're deploying or getting ready to deploy," said Army Capt. Colby Broadwater, Alpha Co. team leader. "It gives us the opportunity to be exposed to the amazing capability of the squadrons at Hulburt Field so we can build our own skills and be in an environment similar to when we deploy."

Airmen and soldiers practiced weapons training, close-air support, and RAPIDS infiltrations/exfiltration. RAPIDS is a special forces tactic, which is used to quickly move personnel or vehicles in and out of an area or to recover an isolated individual.

"I think we all got the most out of learning the capabilities of the AC- 130 gunship and [speaking] with the crews," said Broadwater. "We don't get to see them a lot, so being able to put a face with the people who might get you out of a bad situation down range is very helpful."

Aircrew members communicated closely with soldiers to ensure the gunship's rounds hit simulated enemy locations during mock firefights.

"It's basically familiarization training," said 1st Lt. Allen Caleb, 4th Special Operations Squadron gunship navigator. "It's a little bit different for them to integrate with us than they would with fast movers like F-16s, B-1s and A-10s, but it's better if they see it during training."

During the training, Caleb said he took the fire coordinates from requesting forces on the ground and relayed the information to the fire control officer, pilots and crew chiefs.

"Our unit does this kind of training all the time on our own, but doing it with Army guys on the ground adds an extra level of realism," he said. "It's good for us to hear a ground party on the radio. You're going to encounter things with a ground person that you're typically not thinking about if you're pretending to talk to someone."

The two forces also practiced engaging targets simultaneously in coordinated strikes. First, ground forces fired tracer rounds, which allowed the gunship crew to see the target. Then, the gunship fired at that same target.

Army Private 1st Class Tycjan Sieradzai, 244th Liaison Team health care specialist, said the training gave him a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work outside his regular career field.

"It's been awesome to come out here and support the training," Sieradzai said. "I've gotten the chance to shoot more here in the last two weeks than I would over the course of five years in my regular job."