Staying Proficient

Members of the Expeditionary Depot Maintenance team at Robins AFB, Ga., trained earlier this month at Warrior Air Base—a simulated deployed environment at Robins—to remain proficient in their skills, according to base officials. The highly specialized unit of some 60 airmen deploys at a moment’s notice to repair aircraft damaged in battle as quickly as possible and get them back in the air; its hand-picked members hold training simulations five times a year, states Robins’ April 26 release. The team includes engineers, electricians, sheet metal and fuels systems specialists, and crew chiefs. “There is no other unit that has the capability to do what we do,” said TSgt. T.J. Barb, an EDMX team member since 2003. “We like to say, ‘We don’t get ready—we stay ready,'” he added. The week-long training at Warrior Air Base allowed unit evaluators to identify where deficiencies existed, how members reacted to various situations, such as simulated insurgent attacks and chemical attacks, and how members adapted and overcame barriers, according to the release. (Robins report by Jenny Gordon