Cross Service Partnership Provides Unique Opportunity

  • Published
  • By Bradley J. Clark
  • 908th Airlift Wing
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  The 908th Airlift Wing has a long standing partnership with the 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, Ga.

That relationship between the two units provided a unique training opportunity that took place July 6 at Maxwell Air Force Base.

The mission of the 1st Batt., 507th PIR, is to train paratroopers in order to provide the Department of Defense with Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines to conduct airborne operations anywhere DoD-wide.

The mission of the 908th is to provide combat capability anywhere…anytime. And they accomplish that by having a specific vision of capable, innovative citizen Airmen…ready today, leading tomorrow.

Looking at the missions of the two separate units, it’s easy to see how their partnership formed and how that relationship has turned into a friendship. With the units only being about a 30 minute flight from each other, the 908th regularly supports the 507th averaging out to almost one week a month according to Lt. Col. Emory Dueitt, commander of the 908th’s Operations Support Squadron. “But we have also become a sort of on-call provider for them whenever another wing has to back out last minute for various reasons, because of our longstanding relationship and our proximity and familiarity with their mission.”

That partnership provided the catalyst for an almost unprecedented event, a non-Airshow personnel drop on Maxwell Air Force Base.

“We regularly drop cargo and equipment on Dixie (the call sign for the drop zone on Maxwell), but in my 29 years with the unit, this is only the third time we have had jumpers that weren’t part of an Airshow,” said Chief Master Sgt. James Rickels, loadmaster with the 908th. “This is a pretty big deal.”

According to Lt. Col. Scott Brannon, commander of the 1st Batt., 507th PIR, “the planning for this event started back in February.”

Brannon continued by explaining the importance of the interoperability training event.

“Normally we jump on Fort Benning and we you continue to jump into the same drop zones you can run the risk of becoming complacent because of familiarity,” explained Brannon.

Jumping onto a different airfield provided a whole new view and obstacles to plan for.

“What’s important about airfields is that most of them are laid out the same,” said Brannon. “They all have numbers and lanes and you can quickly divide up the airfield for an assault. It’s good to do the planning, coordination and survey for front side support, in this case, the hazards were the water and the power lines at the one side.”

Having those unfamiliar hazards provided another training aspect for the two units.

“Because of those hazards this gave everyone a chance to work with and plan with outside agencies like the power department, the fire department and local city government,” explained Brannon. “That strengthens all of the relationships knowing that we can all work together to pull this off.”