Lead Lab 22

"5.6 miles....No sweat for Det440"

General Curtis E. Lemay once said that, “I don’t mind being called tough, because in this racket it’s the tough guys who lead the survivors,” and that phrase seemed to be the motto for Lead Lab 22. The cadets were given the task of completing a 5.6 mile march/double-time, a task that by itself would be grueling without adding any additional factors, but as always that’s never the case. The cadets assembled to begin the long trek with dark storm clouds looming overhead, but nevertheless they were eager to start the journey.
Squadrons set off one by one every ten to fifteen minutes and it didn’t take long for the real fun to begin. Not fifteen minutes after the last squadron left the clouds overhead opened up and a massive downpour began. I stood near the first checkpoint waiting for the first squadron wondering when they would come around the corner. As the rain came down harder and harder I finally saw the Raptor squadron come around the corner marching and singing a jodie as if the rain wasn’t even there. You could see on the faces that the cold due to the rain and the wind was taking its toll, but none of the cadets let it dampen their spirits. They crossed under the bridge and marched on to the first checkpoint. After the eagles had marched by as well, the water under the bridge began to cover the road where just puddles had been minutes before. The final two squadrons neared the bridge before the first checkpoint and were asked to join the Navy for a brief two minutes as they traversed the road under the bridge with water that easily came up to the tops of their boots. Neither of the squadrons let the water bring them down as they kept moving along till they had finally reached their first checkpoint.
When each squadron had reached the first checkpoint they were given the chance to fill up their canteens with water for the rest of the march as well as take off their boots and shoes to make sure that blisters weren’t beginning to rear their ugly head on their feet. Once this was completed each squadron continued the march/double-time on their way to the next checkpoint. As I stood there outside the second station I gradually watched each squadron double-timing their way up the long path, with each one of them still shouting out jodies at the top of their lungs. Every single one of the squadrons still showed the determination that they had in the beginning of the march. At the second checkpoint cadets once again were asked to check for blisters and get their fill on water, and then prepare for the final leg of the march.
When the final leg had started, the rain was still coming down. I wanted a taste of the action so I decided to jump in with the last squadron for the final leg. The Warthog squadron was marching as a unit both drenched and tired, but they kept giving it their all. Finally all of the squadrons had returned to Crowder and the march was complete. Overall we only had four cadets fall out through the entire march. The cadets of Det440 showed their determination like never before, and showed just how tough they can be during Lea Lab 22.

Lead Lab 21

"Halt or I'll butter you"

Lead Lab 21 marked the Second Air Expeditionary Forces (AEF) day of the semester for the cadets of Det440. It was a day when each of the four squadrons and the cadets in them would be tested on the skills they had already learned and also get the chance to learn new ones to add to their arsenal. Cadets were asked to complete tasks station by station which ranged from looking for mock UXO’s (Unexploded Ordinance) saving a downed pilot using first aid buddy care, and honing their sharpshooter eyes with pellet pistol target practice. If you think that sounds intense the cadets were even challenged with adversity along the path to certain stations including hidden UXO trip wires and random cadet ambushes, so cadets were forced to constantly be on their toes. To add fuel to the fire the cadets were given fake M-16’s to carry along their mission with the strict instructions that in order to “fire” you would have to utter the phrase “butter, butter, butter”

The cadets began at random stations and worked their way around in a counter-clockwise manner. One of the first stations was the UXO station in which cadets were instructed about UXO’s and how to spot them, and then sent on a mission to locate them on their path. Many of the cadets found the phrase “If it would have been a snake, it would have bit you,” to be all too real as they hit trip wires or walked right past a UXO. Luckily they were fake and we didn’t end up losing a lot of good men out there, cadets were just a little more aware after the experience.

The cadet’s second challenge was the marksmanship station, in which they got to practice their sharpshooting eye and try to hit the center of the target. They shot from three different positions including standing, kneeling, and the prone position. For some cadets it was their first time holding a fire arm, but they didn’t let that slow them down. The Falcons ultimately came out on top over all the squadrons and proved that they definitely were not the squadron to mess with.

Each squadron then traversed to the next station where C/Byrd and C/Stephens taught them about the importance of formations and always being aware in case of an ambush. The cadets learned when to use each formation and then were sent off to their next station. Instead of a normal walk to the next station, the cadets were greeted with an enemy ambush and got a chance to use their new-found knowledge to dispel the enemy threat, with a few well placed, "Butter, butter, butters."

Cadets were then briefed for their last station involving self aid buddy care by C/Gruening and C/Kudlacz. They made sure they were briefed on everything that they would need to know on how to save a life, as well as treating various injuries that they might encounter in the field. The squadrons were then asked to find a downed pilot played beautifully by C/Miller. The squadrons had to set up a secure perimeter while other members treated the downed pilot’s injuries which included a burn, shock, and a broken leg. Overall it was a great Lead Lab for the wing and the cadets were able to demonstrate the knowledge that they had learned in previous semesters as well as add more to their arsenal.