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Alamo Wing Airmen participate in Patriot Hook 2011

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Luis Loza Gutierrez
  • 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO --  Eleven Airmen from the 433rd Airlift Control Flight boarded a C-5 Galaxy in mid April and made the approximately 3 hour flight to a remote island off the coast of California in order to take part in Patriot Hook 2011.

Patriot Hook is a large scale air mobility exercise involving Air Force Reserve Command airlift control flights, flying units and aerial port personnel conducting deployment-type operations from three primary locations California, which are North Island Naval Air Station, Point Mugu and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island, Calif.

"A 'P-hook' exercise is primarily designed to test and evaluate the processing, deployment and sustainability capabilities of an airlift control flight," said Senior Master Sgt. Dave Delgado, who typically works as the 433rd Airlift Control flight's affiliation program manager, but coordinated cargo and passenger activities on the SCI flight line ramp during the exercise.
The 11 Reservists from the Alamo Wing were not alone in their trip to the San Clemente. They departed Kelly Air Field with 14 other citizen Airmen from four other Reserve units from the eastern United States. A few hours after landing on San Clemente, the Airmen who took off from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, were joined by seven other Airmen from the 452nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron out of March Air Reserve Base, Calif., thus transforming into the 433rd Contingency Response Element.

Over the course of the six-day exercise, the 433rd CRE moved 612.7 short tons of cargo and 427 passengers to and from San Clemente Island. Among those hundreds of passengers were personnel from various government organizations such as the Army, Navy, FBI and FEMA Urban Search and Rescue, who hitched a ride aboard 50 military aircraft from seven different flying wings and were officially referred to as affiliates during exercise briefings. Airmen got the opportunity to interact and work with the affiliates during the exercise. The U.S. Coast Guard was another Patriot Hook affiliate.

"It's thanks to the outstanding work of the Airmen on and off the ground that we were able to bring our team and equipment to San Clemente and successfully complete our training mission," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Carlos Montesnation, Port Security Unit 312, San Francisco. "It was impressive to see how they managed to transport our 30-member team and the (two) large trucks and (two) boats onto the C-17(Globemaster)."

As far as training is concerned this year's exercise was of much greater value, said Maj. Gordon Griggs, 433rd CRE commander.

"Our remote location here on San Clemente with its communication challenges and other resource limitations forced our team to use every single piece of equipment we deployed with, which in turn resulted in completion of core competency training for all contingency response element members, including airflow management, aircraft ground operations, air ground equipment operation and maintenance, various communication integrations and command and control," added Maj. Griggs, who typically serves as the commander for the 433rd ALCF.
One of the best incentives about taking part in Patriot Hook is the big morale boost it provides Airmen, said Lt. Col. Buck Kaplan, Patriot Hook 2011 exercise planner and chief of C2 policies and programs at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

"I'm glad to be taking part in this exercise. I think it provides a great opportunity to work alongside other Airmen, and see how in a matter of a few minutes we just come together as a team and execute the mission. It's pretty cool if you think about it because we have no prior experience of working together and we're in a location many of us have never been to before," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Peppers, who was one of two NCOs to serve as load planners during the exercise. "I hope more Airmen from my unit are presented with the opportunity to take part in more exercises like Patriot Hook because I think they would find the experience to be beneficial for their careers and morale."

Sergeant Peppers was the only Airman from the 30th Aerial Port Squadron at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base, N.Y. to take part in Patriot Hook.
This year's Patriot Hook exercise marks the 23rd consecutive year the exercise has taken place, and at least 10 years of participation for the Alamo Wing's airlift control flight.