"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.
