28th MSG provides support during Golden Coyote

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rebecca Imwalle
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affiars
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Several squadrons from the 28th Mission Support Group provided the South Dakota National Guard with multiple facilities to use during the 31st annual Golden Coyote training exercise this year in the Black Hills.

During the exercise, the 28thForce Support Squadron's Pride Hangar, the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron's Camp Lancer, the 28th Logistic Readiness Squadron's deployment center, and many other facilities were utilized, allowing the Guardsmen to work at full capacity while ensuring mission success.

"We were very happy to allow the Soldiers to use our Deployment Center," said Rick Schroeder, 28th LRS installation deployment officer. "Our facility allowed them to have an easy flow for their in-processing tasks as well as a quick out-processing experience for Soldiers departing on military planes."

Schroeder explained that the deployment center offered several large-sized rooms for their briefings and that finding another facility to accommodate the hundreds of Golden Coyote participants would have been difficult.

"This was our first time providing the Army with this support," Schroeder said. "It is something that I would definitely look forward to doing again. The Army did a great job while using our facility, and left it in better condition than when they arrived."

Exercises like Golden Coyote enable servicemembers to further their joint force interoperability, providing first-hand experience working alongside other services and international military partners.

Rick Ives, 28th FSS Bellamy Fitness Center director, said that this is the second time the Pride Hangar has been used during a Golden Coyote exercise, making it possible for more than 350 soldiers to stage equipment and take full advantage of the facility.

"Operating as a joint force is always a great learning opportunity for all branches of the military," Ives said. "Our day-to-day language is different, so the ability to provide key logistical support elements to make Golden Coyote a success is not only interesting, it provides critical training for both Army and Air Force units."

Ives added that due to the Pride Hangar's close proximity to the airfield, the Soldiers had immediate access to the airfield ramp which was optimal in meeting exercise objectives.

The Guard utilized Camp Lancer as a simulated forward operating base during the two-week long exercise.

"We had soldiers hauling 115 loads of timber to different reservations around the area," said Iowa Army National Guard Maj. Gavin Sandvig, 1034th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion executive officer, "... [Troops] provid[ed] fuel and water assets to the exercise and others provided over 3,150 meals over a nine-day period."

He explained that Camp Lancer was a great location, and embodied what they would typically operate out of in a deployed environment.

"This is the first time the CSSB has been located on FOB Lancer," Sandvig noted. "Ellsworth has been extremely accommodating and easy to work with."

Through the use of these many facilities and locations across base, units have been able to participate in warrior training tasks and battle drills such as combat patrols, urban combat operations, land navigation, first aid, casualty evacuation and convoy operations. The event provides valuable opportunities for Ellsworth Airmen, South Dakota Guardsmen, and servicemembers from across the world to train on skills needed for any future overseas deployment.