507th reservists train to survive

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lauren Gleason
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  More than 70 reservists from the 507th Air Refueling Wing demonstrated their ability to survive and operate under hostile conditions on June 8 at the Glenwood training area north of Tinker Air Force Base.

Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Bohannon led the ATSO exercise, which evaluates Airmen on the proper wear of MOPP gear, self-aid and buddy care, decontamination techniques, and post attack reconnaissance, or PAR, procedures.

PAR teams were evaluated on their knowledge surveying the area following the mock nerve agent attack, guided by the AFPAM 10-100, or Airman's Manual. The manual outlines step-by-step how to complete a ground attack report, and proper procedures for responding to various situations in the field.

One inspector, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Gaspar, said the exercise is beneficial because Airmen need a chance to participate in a realistic environment in order to sharpen their skills.

"In my opinion, the most beneficial aspect of the training is donning the MOPP gear and getting real hands-on experience that will prove useful in the event of an attack," said Gaspar.

The chemical gear is solely for training to ensure safety in the real world environment, while the M50 field mask is used during real world chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive incidents and in training.

In light of recent changes to the defense budget, training was conducted here on base instead of traveling to another location.

"Today's survival training is part of our new way of training and preparing for our mission," Bohannon said. "We do it all at home which saves time, money, and manpower."