Alamo Wing overcomes ORE Published Nov. 21, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Carlos Trevino 433 Airlift Wing LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A mortar attack strikes an overseas Air Force base. One round hits and explodes in the base headquarters. Smoke billows out of the building as Air Force personnel in mission-oriented personal protection gear, level three, exit the building seeking cover in a nearby bomb shelter. Security forces secure the building's entry control point as firefighters arrive, jumping out of their fire truck to drag hoses into the damaged building to extinguish the flames. Is this an attack at an overseas location? No, it's the 433rd Airlift Wing' s local five-day Operational Readiness Exercise simulating wartime scenarios. Wing members demonstrated and learned skills to fight and win in a deployed environment during the ORE. The ORE is a graded practice test that prepares Alamo Wing members for the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. The ORI, held every 5 years, is a graded test of the unit's capabilities to deploy, fight and win in overseas wartime environment. The main objective 433rd Wing Commander Col. Kenneth Lewis, Jr. was seeking was "a positive attitude. They already have their job expertise. They already know what they are doing in their regular field." The 4 day exercise not only tested participant's career and war fighting knowledge, but also their physical endurance with 12 to 14 hour days. A good attitude is necessary for a successful ORE. "I'm looking for a positive proactive attitude, the Wingman attitude," said 433rd Airlift Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Emil Garza. "My main focus was checking attitudes and making sure the right attitudes were being displayed at all times under all conditions." Senior Airman Eric Jaime prepared for the ORE by studying his Airman' s Manual. His preparation and positive attitude during the ORE was evident. " As far as my first time, I enjoyed the situations they gave us," he said. The most challenging event he experienced was driving the shuttle bus in MOPP 4 minus the boots. "I could use a little more practice," said Jaime. "The hardest thing is driving with the mask. You don't want to panic in your mask." He offered a few tips on driving in MOPP 4 and preparing having a successful ORE. "You have to control your breathing and look at your mirrors more," he said. "It's harder to get used to breath sitting down than standing up, and of course staying hydrated. Water is a big factor. It's a lot more important than people think." Another example was an attack causing Security Forces personnel to lockdown an area. This was a teachable moment according to Chief Master Sgt. Mario Pelayo of Security Forces, an evaluator during the ORE. "Every Airman is a warrior. Not only is Security Forces responsible to secure the base. If SF goes down, these folks from other units would have to take over this area to defend the base. Right now that they are under attack, the rest of the Airmen have to step up to defend the base," said Chief Pelayo. Now to answer the question that is on every readers mind: How did the 433rd do on the ORE? "Absolutely phenomenal," Colonel Lewis said. Players had to park their vehicles at the start of the workday at Stillman Park before 0530 and get picked up by a shuttle bus to get driven to their work sites half mile away. "The players had to deal with artificialities and get into the mindset that they are overseas and here's my job. Then I have to do my job while jets are flying over and their bombing us. All these things to overcome, and yet the mission pressed forward," he said. "They kept a great attitude the entire time. They were flexible. It gave us a baseline of where we're at, and where we need to go," he said reflecting on the ORE. How can members improve and prepare for the ORI? "To improve they need to take a look back and see what they need to do better. They're doing the right thing already. Read their report from their section," Colonel Lewis said. "They did a great job. The entire wing, it was great working with professionals. Everybody was willing to adapt and overcome any challenge," he said in closing.