Aerial porters lead joint training exercise

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Andrew Biscoe
  • 439 AW/PA
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. - --  Westover's 42nd Aerial Port Squadron reservists led two of their sister services in a joint-training exercise held Oct. 18.

Huddled inside the massive cargo bay of a Westover C-5, the aerial porters trained 16 Navy reservists from a new reserve detachment in Plainville, Conn., three active-duty Marines, and a Westover Marine reservist in loading and off-loading trucks, a humvee, Bobcat, and other large items.

"We provided the Marines joint inspection training, weight and balance training, and aircraft loading and tie-down," said Senior Master Sgt. Anita Mancini, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the exercise. The Navy reservists learned about pallet buildup, aircraft loading and tie down, passenger terminal training, baggage pallet building and passenger processing, weight and balance training, and aircraft loading.

Loadmasters with the 337th Airlift Squadron joined in for the exercise, held at the Dogpatch training area on Westover.

Reservists with the 42nd have previously trained Westover Marine reservists on cargo loading techniques. The squadron holds annual Dogpatch exercises and invites other units to participate in the training for a total joint training exercise, Sergeant Mancini said, adding the camaraderie between the Air Force, Navy and Marines was clearly evident through a persistent wind and rain on Dogpatch.

The 42nd reservists broke the Navy and Marines into groups and rotated them through such training as weighing and balancing cargo and pallet buildup.

"All the Navy participants enjoyed the chance for training, and as usual, all of your Air Force people were completely generous and gracious hosts as well as thorough trainers," said Navy Petty Officer Jeff Sesko.

"We offered our services again and all responded that they would like for it to happen again," Sergeant Mancini said. She visited the Marines at the end of the exercise and presented each with a wing coin. "This training helps all of us to work together, builds camaraderie between the services and enables Airmen that have not deployed, to experience a deployed tempo."

The aerial port training is part of what makes up Westover's evolving joint-base environment.
While the 439th Airlift Wing is the host unit at Westover, the base hosts reserve units from the Army, Navy, and Marines. New additions soon joining the 68-year-old base's landscape include 450 Navy Reserve Seabees relocating from Brunswick Naval Air Station, Maine, and nearly 1,000 active-duty Army and National Guard soldiers who will comprise an Armed Forces Reserve Center.