"Det One" Gets A Dose Of Hard Training
Story by Maj Kathy Salatas; Photos by MSgt Jeff Myers & TSgt Jim Sundahl - Posted Dec, 2000
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No organization functions without its administrative staff, and the Washington Air National Guard is no exception. Much of that administration is handled by the men and women of Detachment 1, Headquarters, Washington Air National Guard... "Det One" for short. Many of these dedicated Air Guardsmen work at their Guard jobs through the week as well, serving the National Guard full time. As the saying goes... "all work and no play..." So this summer, Det One decided to break out of the office and head for the field. They headed south to Camp Rilea on the pristine coast of northern Oregon for some "hands on" training!
From the 6th through the15th of July, members of Detachment 1, Headquarters, WA ANG, stationed on Camp Murray, deployed to Camp Rilea, Oregon, for exercise "Coastal Blue 2000". Camp Rilea is located between Astoria and Seaside OR, just off Highway 101.
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Maintained by the Oregon National Guard, Camp Rilea is also a favorite training site for Washington Guard units. The post is frequently used by civilian organizations as well, including the Boy Scouts. Its rifle and pistol ranges, barracks and mess hall facilities and mock "city" (called a MOUT site, for Military Operations in Urban Terrain) make it a favored training location for police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams throughout the Pacific Northwest.
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Det One's trip to Camp Rilea for their annual training was the unit's first actual deployment away from their home station. Normally, they are required to remain at Camp Murray to provide administrative support to everyone else when they deploy... no fun there!
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The exercise certainly gave the Det One folks a chance to experience some of the training that their customers go through. More importantly, however, the strenuous and realistic training provided an excellent opportunity for team building to enhance unit cohesion.
Training of this type has even been used by major US corporations for its own administrative and management personnel.
Among the instructors were the top-notch professionals of the 116th ASOC's Tactical Air Control Party, or TACPs.
This little known organization, and their active duty counterparts posses close combat skills that rival those of the Army Special Forces and the Marine Force Recon units. They ran Det One through a series of stations that covered a wide range of skills.
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Among the subjects taught were camouflage, weapon maintenance, land navigation, first aid, tactical vehicle operations, operation of night-vision goggles, casualty evacuation, and more.
One of the more popular events was the live-fire range, where everyone got a chance to fire pistols, rifles and machineguns. The TACP folks even brought out their sniper rifle and a special camouflage suit called a "ghilly suit".
At the end of their annual training, Det One was tired. They had done more in two weeks than some units do in two years. Judging by the big smiles and sense of accomplishment apparent on their faces, Coastal Blue 2000 was a success.
When asked if they want to do this again next year, the reply was universal... "You Bet!"
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