“BEEFing” up for a challenge

  • Published
  • By A1C Quentin Marx
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The 28th Civil Engineer Squadron held the Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force (BEEF) Challenge June 11 at the Camp Lacer training range on Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The challenge was designed to test the readiness of Ellsworth’s combat engineers with mock events that simulated what an engineer could experience in a deployed environment.

“The challenge consisted of six events: land navigation, self-aid buddy care, M4 breakdown relay, battle buddy hill climb, litter carry obstacle course and a memory test,” said Tech. Sgt. Keaton Pearce, the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron unit deployment manager. “Each challenge lasts for 30 minutes with a 15-minute window to transport contestants to the next event.”

Every challenge had at least one physical and mental component. During the M4 breakdown relay race of the Prime BEEF Challenge, the Airmen raced carrying two ammo cans from the starting line to a table with an M4. Once they reached the weapon, they were required to disassemble or reassemble it and return to the starting line with the ammo cans to tap in the next team member.

“The competition was meant to create a team environment, bringing individual shops out to compete with one another, and increase morale as the events are extremely challenging,” said Pearce.

Engineers are usually the first in and the last out of deployment environments, and they need to be ready for anything that might come their way, the technical sergeant further explained.

“Ellsworth wants extremely well-trained professionals and that’s exactly what we are producing,” said Pearce.