ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla.-- The 97th Air Mobility Wing partnered with U.S. Army Soldiers from Fort Sill, Oklahoma to load cargo, vehicles and passengers onto two C-17 Globemaster IIIs at Altus Air Force Base, as part of joint exercise “Burning Spear”, May 6, 2021.
“The purpose of the exercise was to practice loading equipment on the C-17s in support of the Army,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Ryan Arsenault, 58th Airlift Squadron C-17 instructor pilot. In total three vehicles, 99 Soldiers and two pallets of support equipment were loaded and transported to Fort Sill.
Soldiers that received this training gained real world, hands-on operational experience moving their equipment onto the actual aircraft used to transport it. This knowledge is then shared with other unit members who were not able to attend.
“I'm here to get this training so I can teach it to others that did not have the opportunity to be here,” said U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Antoine, 15th Transportation Company truck driver. “Learning what we need to do and how to help each other out is why we’re here.”
Joint exercises such as this provide opportunities for Airmen and Soldiers to work together and learn from each other.
“This gives the Army and Air Force exposure and experience. Different branches of service, we don't all speak the same, even though we're all in the military. Having joint cooperation like this and learning each other's language is important to our mission,” said Arsenault.
Joint operations strengthen our allies and partners, allowing the installation to further train exceptional mobility Airmen and the Air Force we need.