921st CRS Dragons ‘bring the heat’ at Exercise DRAGON SPARK

Published April 25, 2025
By 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher
621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --

More than 100 Airmen from the 921st Contingency Response Squadron exercised their expeditionary skills at Amedee Army Airfield in Herlong, California, April 7-17.

”This is our first real exercise coming together as a team […] it built comradery and built up how we’re going to push forward in the future.''

Master Sgt. Amber Bushong, 921st CRS mission support flight chief and exercise defense force commander

Throughout the 10 days, Airmen were pushed to their full professional capabilities by holding rotational 24-hour security, sleeping in Environmental Control Units (ECU), conducting airfield operations, moving cargo and much more.

The squadron formed a contingency response element, more commonly known as a CRE, and strategically navigated exercise injects that purposely created problems so that they could practice bringing order to that chaos.

“Exercise DRAGON SPARK was born out of necessity,” Lt. Col. Miles-Tyson Blocker, 921st CRS director of operations and exercise commander said. “There are many things that a contingency response element needs to be able to accomplish and no single training exercise that is outside of any of the big-named exercises focus on CRE-level training requirements and desired learning objectives.”

Airman perform sling load — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

Airmen with the 921st Contingency Response Squadron establish a sling load connection with the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361's CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 7, 2025. The 921st CRS and HMH-361 both participated in Exercise Dragon Spark for 10 days to train their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

Man puts on seat belt — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dalton Roberts, 921st Contingency Response Squadron operations expeditor, puts on his seat belt at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 6, 2025. Over 10 days, the 921st CRS participated in Exercise Dragon Spark as part of a series of training exercises to qualify them on their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

Woman records measurements — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Theresa Martin, 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron air advisor, measures the distance before planting blue flags for tent setup at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 7, 2025. Over 10 days, the 921st Contingency Response Squadron participated in Exercise Dragon Spark as part of a series of training exercises to qualify them on their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

Airman poses for photograph — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dalton Roberts, 921st Contingency Response Squadron operations expeditor, poses for a photo at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 7, 2025. Over 10 days, the 921st CRS participated in Exercise Dragon Spark as part of a series of training exercises to qualify them on their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

Airman performs sling load — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Miles Blocker, 921st Contingency Response Squadron director of operations, attempts to establish a sling load connection with the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361's CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 7, 2025. The 921st CRS and HMH-361 both participated in Exercise Dragon Spark for 10 days to train their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

A CRE is a large body of approximately 120 Airmen and is uniquely made up of more than 32 different career fields, each designated to perform and enable the “open the airbase” mission set.

The exercise’s specific training parameters tested the CRE on their security measures and airbase opening capabilities in a simulated austere environment. As one of the six contingency response squadrons within the 621st Contingency Response Wing, the Dragon’s primary mission is to open, operate and close airbases on demand in any environment.

“This is our first real exercise coming together as a team […] it built comradery and built up how we’re going to push forward in the future,” Master Sgt. Amber Bushong, 921st CRS mission support flight chief and exercise defense force commander emphasized. “It gets the whole CRE thinking about security because it’s [ultimately] a port mission. It gets every career field within the CRE thinking outside the box about what enables them to do their specific job within the overall mission.”

Airmen perform sling load — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

Airmen with the 921st Contingency Response Squadron establish a sling load connection with the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361's CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 7, 2025. The 921st CRS and HMH-361 both participated in Exercise Dragon Spark for 10 days to train their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

Military personnel standing by at sunset — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

Airmen with the 921st Contingency Response Squadron standby at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 15, 2025. Over 10 days, the 921st CRS participated in Exercise Dragon Spark as part of a series of training exercises to qualify them on their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

Two men talking — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

U.S. Staff Sgt Dalton Roberts, right, 921st Contingency Response Squadron operations expeditor, listens to a U.S Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion pilot at Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California, April 7, 2025. The 921st CRS participated in Exercise Dragon Spark for 10 days to train their deployment readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Cassidy Fisher)

From the exercise’s beginning, it was homegrown and initiated internally by squadron leadership. It purposively took Airmen out of their normal operating procedures and placed them in a controlled environment to accomplish desired learning objectives.

Additionally, this exercise is important because the 921st CRS is preparing for their upcoming alert deployment cycle, which they will assume this fall. For many Airmen, Exercise DRAGON SPARK was their first contingency response exercise.

“This is going to make us a lot sharper for the alert cycle. It’s a great group of people and they’re all working their ‘Dragon’ tails off,” Capt. Chris Delgado, 921st CRS exercise director of operations stated. “Everyone’s put in a lot of effort into this so I just can’t thank everyone enough.”

This exercise served as an ample training opportunity to generate readiness. It was all hands-on-deck from its first initial planning day, to getting out the door, to executing the mission until the unit’s final reconstitution upon redeployment home to Travis Air Force Base. The lessons learned from this exercise have enabled them to hone their skills and refocus efforts on peak readiness.

Group photo — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

SLIDESHOW | images | 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

Airman aims down sniper rifle scope — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

SLIDESHOW | images | 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

Two men performing PAR sweep — 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

SLIDESHOW | images | 921st CRS participates in Exercise Dragon Spark

The team worked tirelessly to ensure training objectives were met and that they are now a steppingstone closer to lethality when it comes to assuming alert.

Yet, this exercise still served as a harsh reminder that training will only increase in its intensity as they push forward through the challenge of becoming prepared and ready for a possible deployment. It is also a reminder that they are capable on meeting any challenge if they remember to embody their squadron’s mantra: “Bring The Heat!”

So when the alert phone rings, the Dragons will be ready to answer with ferocity.