Murphy can’t stop 821st CRG, Cerberus Strike

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
FORT CARSON, Colo. --  As the screaming U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules stood still at the Fort Carson flightline, multiple Airmen scrambled to figure out how they were going to fit a huge trailer into the aircraft.

With each millimeter just as important as the next, the trailer was slowly and carefully backed up onto the aircraft ramp coming within inches on both sides of the aircraft walls.

"Do you think it's going to fit?" said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Bryan Oliver, 821st Contingency Response Squadron aerial porter.

After a few failed attempts and about 45 minutes later, the team could only get a portion of the trailer on the aircraft. An Airman soon called for a team huddle to figure out how they were going to accomplish the task.

"Even with Murphy's Law being what it is, whenever we plan an exercise we plan it to go off without a hitch," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Brian Beaty, 821st Contingency Response Group, contingency response team chief in training.

"It's the same thing with any real world operation but if Murphy can hit us when we're practicing, then we'll get good at handling whatever is going to be thrown at us that we didn't plan on. It certainly makes us better able to responds to those unplanned situations out there in a real world operation." he said.

More than 120 Airmen assigned to the 821st CRS began participating in Cerberus Strike 16-01 April 22 at Fort Carson, Colo., a nine-day joint exercise specifically designed for contingency response training across multiple locations in Colorado and Wyoming.

The exercise allowed for members the opportunity to rehearse potential real-world situations by training with Army counterparts in cargo uploading and downloading on aircraft, aircraft engine running off-loads, communications, aerial port procedures, and air mobility liaison officer operations with airdrops from aircraft.  

According to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Cordes, 821st CRS commander, the importance of this exercise is not just in the joint aspect, it is in the total integration of the force looking at tactical issues and solutions in order to provide operational and strategic effects. 

"Strategy for Army and Air Force leaders assumes and expects a certain level of capability in order to meet a desired end state," Cordes said. "This exercise is about building those relationships, identifying issues and solving them among our active duty Air Force, reserve component forces, and Army partners, and looking at the future together from the tactical level to ensure maximum capability and the best advice to our senior leaders regarding tactical level operations."

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Cresse, 152d Movement Control Team member stationed at Fort Carson, said anytime they get to exercise with the Air Force, it's an opportunity to learn from one another.

"We end up learning better techniques to do our jobs," Cresse said. "We smooth out the processes and it also gives our personnel the ability to stretch their skills because it's not something they get to use continuously."

Beaty explained that the training received at Cerberus Strike helps all members prepare for real-world operations and working in joint environments.

"This type of exercise that we do out here is a huge bit of training for us and helps us get better at what we do," Beaty added. "One of the main things that we do is work with our other service partners. We can practice all of these things by ourselves but when you throw in the added extra confusion or difficulties just working with our partners, we need to iron through that."

After repeated failed attempts for the crew loading the huge trailer at the Fort Carson flightline, the Airmen succeeded. Now that the aircraft was finally loaded, it was now time for them to get on the aircraft as passengers to help unload the trailer and cargo at a different location.

Just as everyone settled in their seats, an airmen announced that the aircraft had broken down.

One by one, each airman got off the aircraft wearing smiles of disbelief on their faces. When they returned to the hanger, they regrouped and began planning out how they were going to work around Murphy's Law once more.