Silver Flag 2008 readies 911th Civil Engineers

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Roberto Modelo
  • 911th Public Affairs
PITTSBURGH IAP ARS --  Airmen from the 911th Airlift Wing's Civil Engineering Squadron grabbed their gear and headed out during February and March for a one week bare-base exercise known as Silver Flag. Silver Flag is an exercise conducted by the 823rd Rapid Engineer
Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. whose purpose is to train Airmen on building and maintaining bare-base operations at forward-deployed locations 

"It was good hands-on training with a lot of equipment that we don't normally use back at Pittsburgh," said Master Sgt. Robert Bolitho, acting first sergeant at Silver Flag, and a heating ventilation and air conditioning foreman at the 911th AW's CES. The exercise broke the squadron into functional areas. Each functional area had to be able to create an air base out of an area with very few, if any, resources. Members of the 911th AW's CES had to create everything from drinkable water, to shelter and most everything in between. They also needed to repair an airport runway that contained bomb craters, so that follow-on forces could arrive safely. 

Under the consistent watchful eye of the 823rd Red Horse Squadron Detachment at Tyndall AFB, Fla. the detachment ensured the Airmen were able to complete their assigned tasks within the constraints of the exercise and provide corrective action
if needed. 

"Our Airmen did an outstanding job," said Master Sgt. Bolitho The functional areas combined Airmen from the 911th AW's CES with their active-duty counterparts. Having similar training allowed the Airmen to come together in overall execution of the
mission. 

Airmen from the 911th AW's CES adapted and overcame the obstacles posed to them by the Silver Flag exercise. 

"It was a good opportunity for us to get out and do our jobs in a deployed environment," said Master Sgt. Bolitho. 

Being an expeditionary Air Force pushes Airmen to perform their tasks beyond those at home station. An event like the Silver Flag exercise raises our operational proficiency levels making our Airmen ready to meet the challenges regardless of where we
are needed.