TSGT KURTZ: HELLO AND WELCOME TO AROUND THE AIR FORCE,
I'M TECH SERGEANT NICHOLAS KURTZ.
AIR FORCE COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATORS HAVE TO BE READY TO RESPOND TO JUST ABOUT
EVERY DISASTER SCENARIO IMAGINABLE, WHETHER IT'S WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA, MUDSLIDES IN
WASHINGTON, OR PLANE CRASHES IN ALASKA, C-SAR IS THERE.
AND WHEN THEY'RE NOT OUT SAVING LIVES, PARARESCUE AIRMEN ARE TRAINING IN ANTICIPATION OF THE
NEXT EMERGENCY.
SrA BENJAMIN LANDON CAUGHT UP WITH MEMBERS OF SEVERAL C-SAR UNITS WHO WERE TAKING PART
IN TRAINING EXERCISE LONE SURVIVOR, AND BRINGS US THIS REPORT.
SrA BENJAMIN LANDON: THE UTAH TEST AND TRAINING RANGE, 19,000 SQUARE
MILES OF DESERT TERRAIN, IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE FOR MILITARY TRAINING.
UTAH RESERVE AND NATIONAL GUARD PERSONNEL CAME TOGETHER FOR "LONE SURVIVOR," A JOINT
COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE.
COL.
BRYAN RADLIFF, 419TH FIGHTER WING COMMANDER: WHAT YOU HAVE WITH MOST RESERVE COMPONENT
MEMBERS, AIRMEN AND SOLDIERS, IS VAST AMOUNTS OF EXPERIENCE.
WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SERVED FOR MANY MANY YEARS, IN THE RESERVE
COMPONENT AND BRING A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE.
ONE OF THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF OUR TRAINING IS THAT WE NEVER KNOW WHAT SITUATION WE'RE
GOING TO FIND OURSELVES IN, SO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT
ASPECTS, WHETHER ITS COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE, WHETHER ITS INTERDICTION OR WHETHER ITS JUST
HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK FOR THINGS THE STATE OF UTAH NEEDS AND THAT THIS
NATION NEEDS.
SrA BENJAMIN LANDON: THESE PART TIME SERVICE MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS
MISSION READY, AND THEIR FULL TIME JOBS BRING DIVERSITY AND EXPERIENCE TO THE MILITARY.
MG JEFFERSON BURTON, UTAH NATIONAL GUARD: IN THE GUARD AND RESERVES YOU'VE GOT GUYS
THAT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, YOU'VE GOT FOLKS THAT ARE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT YOU'VE GOT MEDICAL
FOLKS THAT DO THAT ALL THROUGH THE WEEK AND THEN THEY COME AND THEY PUT ON A UNIFORM AND
THEN THEY BRING WITH THEM A PERSPECTIVE, THAT SOMEBODY WHO DOES ONE THING ALL THE TIME DOESN'T
HAVE, AND SO I THINK THAT DIVERSITY THAT ABILITY TO LOOK AT THINGS FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES IS
VERY EFFECTIVE AND VERY USEFUL IN AN EXERCISE LIKE THIS.
SrA BENJAMIN LANDON: THESE TRAINING EXERCISES BUILD COHESION BETWEEN
THE RESERVES AND NATIONAL GUARD, AND THEY KEEP OUR NATION'S MILITARY FULLY OPERATIONAL,
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.
FOR SECOND COMBAT CAMERA, I'M AIRMAN BENJAMIN LANDON.
KURTZ: LAST WEEKEND, AIRMEN FROM RAMSTEIN AIR BASE,
GERMANY TOOK A TRIP ABOUT 150 MILES FROM BASE, AND 70 YEARS INTO THE PAST.
IT WAS ALL PART OF AN EFFORT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES WHO CAME BEFORE THEM.
SSGT DAVID MEADE HAS THE STORY.
SSGT DAVID MEADE, REPORTING: AIRMEN FROM RAMSTEIN'S 86 MUNITIONS SQUADRON
RECENTLY TOOK PART IN A REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY NEAR BASTOGNE, BELGIUM, HONERING WORLD WAR
TWO VETERAN, SERGEANT JOHN LEATHER.
SMSGT DAVID SHRIMP: "WE GOT TO START OUT AT FLAMERGIE WHICH WAS
THE OBJECT OF THIS CAMPAIGN WITH MR.
LEATHER AND HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS.
THEY DEDICATED AND LAID FLOWERS AT THE MEMORIAL AT FLAMERGIE.
AND IT WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL EVENT WATCHING MR.
LEATHER PLACE THE FLOWERS, AND FROM THERE WE PROCEEDED ON TO PEACE WOODS WHERE THE RESIDENTS
HERE OF BELGIUM HAVE DECICATED A STONE AND A PLAQUE IN HIS HONOR AS
WELL AS A TREE THAT IS IN THE FORMATION OF PEACE WOODS.
IT WAS ABOSLUTELY HUMBLING AND AWE-INSPIRING."
SSGT DAVID MEADE, REPORTING: AFTER A RAINY FIRST DAY, THE EVENTS CONTINUED
THE FOLLOWING MORNING IN THE LITTLE TOWN OH HOUMONT WHERE MANY CAME TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE DEAD MAN'S RIDGE WALK, AN EIGHT OR EIGHTEEN KILOMETER MARCH TO HONOR THOSE WHO FOUGHT
AND DIED THERE.
SMSGT DAVID SHRIMP: "IT'S A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE BECAUSE IT GIVES
YOU THE OPPURTUNITY TO VIEW THE FIELDS AND THE RIDGES AND THE WOODS THAT OUR SOLDIERS
FOUGHT AND DIED IN OVER THE YEARS THAT THEY BATTLED FOR THIS LAND FACING INSURMOUNTABLE
ODDS AND COUNTLESS ENEMEY AT EVERY TURN.
SO IT GIVES NEW MEANING TO WHAT THEY FOUGHT AND THE CONDITIONS THEY ENDURED TO BE ABLE
TO MEET THEIR OBJECTIVES."
SSGT DAVID MEADE, REPORTING: AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE
NEXT YEAR...
SMSGT DAVID SHRIMP: WE HAVE A FEW YEARS LEFT TO HONOR THESE VETERANS
AND THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE AND PERFECT WAY TO DO IT.
I ENCOURAGE ALL UNITS TO TRY TO COME OUT HERE IN FORMATION AND REPRESENT OUR COUNTRY.
SSGT DAVID MEADE, REPORTING: AFTER A LONG WALK AND MANY THOUGHTS, PARTICPANTS RETURNED
TO HOUMONT TO MEET AND GREET WITH SERGEANT LEATHER.
REPORTING FROM BASTONGE, BELGIUM, I'M AIR FORCE STAFF SERGEANT DAVID MEADE.
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FROM THE AIR FORCE BROADCASTING SERVICE, I'M TSGT NICHOLAS KURTZ.
THANKS FOR WATCHING..