Narrator: These trainees are performing lifesaving
first aid on a mannequin.
Trainee: You guys are my cover.
Let's go.
Narrator: It's part of a combat exercise
at Air Force basic military training
simply known as "The Village."
Narrator: And it's one of the final exercises
of BEAST week,
or Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training,
the culminating event of BMT.
Trainee: Move forward, move forward.
Narrator: The trainees' mission
is to infiltrate The Village
and then locate and rescue a wounded airman
in less than three minutes.
Instructor: You're dead, you're dead, you're dead,
you're dead, you're dead, you're dead, you're dead.
Narrator: But instructors acting as opposing forces,
both hostile and nonthreatening,
[explosion]
and the simulated sounds of explosives
[gunfire]
and gunfire create an intimidating environment.
Narrator: Located approximately six miles
from Lackland Air Force Base,
The Village is filled with dilapidated buildings
and broken-down cars,
simulating the look and feel of a town
that airmen might encounter during a deployment.
Each team of trainees is briefed on their mission.
Instructor: Hey, you got to go in there fast, all right?
Once you hit The Village, you don't hesitate.
You've got to go right in,
and you're going to go find that downed airman. Make sense?
Trainees: Yes, sir.
The right's going to go first, left second, middle last,
so that way we can cover him. Copy?
Trainees: Yes, sir.
Perfect. Let's hit it.
Narrator: Trainees march along a 1 1/2-mile trail
to reach The Village ...
Narrator: Watching out for
unexploded explosive ordnances, or UXOs.
Narrator: Upon arriving at The Village,
the trainees are met by instructors
acting as opposing forces.
Narrator: The trainees assess the situation
to determine whether or not they pose a threat.
Instructor: Come! Come!
Narrator: And enter The Village
to locate the downed airman.
[bomb exploding] [gunshots banging]
Trainee: Drop your weapon!
Move forward, move forward.
John Williams: Adding stress, adding sounds,
explosions, simulated IEDs,
I want them to be able to think under that stress
and be able to react under that stress appropriately.
Williams: Most often they don't. They freeze up.
At first, I thought I was just going to rush in
and know what to do, but I still froze.
I didn't know what to do.
I didn't know where to run.
Narrator: At one point,
an instructor tested this trainee by walking up
and slowly taking away their weapon.
Instructor: Can I see?
Oh, thank you.
Williams: Somebody tries to take your weapon,
the appropriate response would have been use minimal force.
Instructor: White building! Trainee: Halt!
Narrator: Trainees are taught to use minimal force
on noncompliant individuals
and are only supposed to use deadly force
on those who exhibit a clear capability and intent to harm.
Trainees: Put your weapon above your head!
Narrator: But nerves can get the best of some trainees.
Trainee: Put your hands up!
Fire! Trigger, trigger, trigger!
Michael Ang: Because of that heightened stress
that we put them on, they tend to forget
which type of force they're going to use
in what scenario.
Trainees utilizing deadly force
when they're not supposed to be
sets us back in a mission
that we're trying to accomplish overseas.
Narrator: Trainees also have to look out for mock IEDs.
They're supposed to be able to recognize
the warning signs of an IED.
More often than not, they don't recognize it,
and they get dusted with baby powder.
Narrator: Once the trainees reach the injured airman,
they utilize their previous training
in Tactical Combat Casualty Care, or TCCC.
Ang: So, with TCCC,
they start applying things that they need to do
to actually save that wingman's life
and actually sustain them
until actual medical personnel can be brought in
and provide the proper care that they need.
Narrator: After successfully applying aid,
the trainees must evacuate their downed airman to safety
to complete the objective.
Instructor: Communicate. Make a decision. Let's go.
Watch your muzzle!
Ang: Hey, this is why we train.
Now, some of y'all made a couple of mistakes.
I wouldn't call it too bad.
What's some of the things you did poorly?
Talk to me.
Trainee: Communication, sir.
Ang: Communication?
A lot of you all stalled right at that entrance.
That's a normal behavior that we see out here.
A lot of stalling. You're trying to feel it out.
But y'all came up with a plan before you came out here, right?
Trainees: Yes, sir.
Ang: Y'all need to follow that plan and execute.
Get in, save the airman,
deal with everything as it comes,
because that's how it is real world.
We don't have a plan for what it is out there.
That's why we do it here,
so y'all can start learning
how to think on your feet quickly.
Trainees: Yes, sir.
Attwell: Teamwork is important.
There were times where they would sneak up behind you
and nobody was paying attention to your back,
so you've just got to stay aware
and try your best not to be scared.
It's hard to explain, but the less shaky you are,
the easier it'll be, the smoother it'll go.
I like the running.
I liked ducking for cover.
It kind of felt like the real thing,
and that's what we're here for.
Ang: It's actually very much a learning experience.
We are here to expose weaknesses and mistakes.
That way they can see it firsthand.
Williams: Again, this is basic military training,
so you're going to learn some basic expeditionary skills.
It lays that foundation.
When they do go to their career fields
and go through a more advanced expeditionary training,
and then when they do go downrange, they'll be ready.