Kunsan Airmen help wrap up DISTANT FRONTIER, RED FLAG-Alaska

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rachelle Coleman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Much like a double header in basketball playoffs, a group of Airmen from Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, are finishing up back-to-back training exercises with DISTANT FRONTIER and RED FLAG-Alaska 11-1.

During RF-A 11-1 Kunsan Airmen stayed on their toes to ensure their pilots were ready to win the fight against "red forces." The Wolf Pack, as Kunsan Airmen are more commonly known, wrapped up an Operational Readiness Inspection with an "excellent" rating just days before deploying to Alaska.

An ORI is one of the most demanding inspections in the Air Force conducted to evaluate and measure the ability of units with wartime, contingency or force sustainment missions to perform operations plans and assigned tasks.

RF-A is targeted at training pilots, making sure they hone the skills needed to fly, fight and win, but the exercise also tests those on the ground who ensure the aircraft are ready for flight.

"We knew that we had the possibility of long hours and a lot of munitions being loaded so we really had to focus on what we had at hand during the ORI," said Staff Sgt. Eric Leberte, 80th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew team chief. "That was our main goal at the time and we really didn't have a transition period to get a rest cycle. We just had to keep at it and get ready to catch jets here."

As a weapons load crew team chief, Sergeant Leberte's job is to maintain the weapons system on the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the gun system, all the rails and launchers, and to load munitions and make sure they're secure for flight.

"[At Eielson] we're allowed to do more. Our load crews go through monthly training on munitions but most of these guys don't get to see live munitions on a regular basis," said Sergeant Leberte.

"RF-A helps load crews get the opportunity to load these munitions and the pilots an opportunity to drop the munitions. It's different to see everything in a real-world scenario than the practice scenarios we do at Kunsan," he said.

Each Airman worked tirelessly before boarding their flight to the Great White North, where they prepared to work some more.

"We worked the weekend to get the jets ready to go TDY because it was so close together," said Staff Sgt. Justin Baldivia, 80th AMU crew chief.

The crew chiefs mounted equipment that isn't used regularly when flying at their home station. After the equipment was installed pilots performed "confidence flights" to make sure everything was just right.

"I don't really mind the way the pace is going, yeah we're working nine to ten hour shifts a day but it's not too bad. I guess after RED FLAG it will probably slow down a bit but sometimes I kind of like the fast pace because it makes the day go by pretty quick," said Sergeant Baldivia.

"After RED FLAG is over maybe we'll have a little more time to do some outdoor rec type activities," he said.

Kunsan Airmen also participated in DISTANT FRONTIER, a training exercise that allows aircrews to train on a more self-paced level and focus on internal training goals using the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex.