JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- The 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron conducted Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force training here, July 19.
Ninety U.S. Air Force Airmen attended the training, which focused on land navigation and individual movement techniques.
“We have Prime BEEF Day every third Thursday of the month,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jon Colon, 633rd CES expeditionary engineer supervisor. “It’s important because it helps keep every Airman ready mentally and physically to go out to deployed locations, and be able to rely on what they learned to complete the contingency mission.”
Airmen from all facets of the squadron work together to form a Prime BEEF team, which provides a full range of engineering support required to establish, operate, and maintain troops and contingency airbases.
These Airmen may be called upon to perform a variety of duties, including air base site surveys, establishing base camps, and operations and utility system installation.
“Prime BEEF Day allows Airmen to take a day from their regular job and focus on the mission essential duties that we will be doing overseas or during a deployment,” said Senior Airman Adrian Richardson, 633rd CES operations management journeyman. “If we didn’t have a Prime BEEF Day, we could be going to deployments kind of clueless.”
The Airmen were divided into four-person teams and tasked with finding markers, using a compass and map, to gain first-hand land navigation experience. According to Colon, the Airmen learned to navigate terrain without technology, so they are prepared to operate in conditions where it may not be available.
While practicing individual movement techniques, the engineers worked as a team to identify, assess and report threats, such as simulated improvised explosive devices and insurgents while in a deployed environment.
Although this month’s training tackled two proficiencies, the 633rd CES regularly changes its attention to ensure its Airmen are well-rounded to support the mission. Prime BEEF Day can include computer-based training, weapons training, Humvee roll over training or more.
Richardson said he believes that Prime BEEF Day gives him and his wingmen a chance to gain confidence in tasks they don’t do on an everyday basis. However, he mostly appreciates the opportunity to interact and work with members of his CES family that he may not see every day.
“Overall, it’s a real chance for all the Airmen to come together and learn at the same time from different organizations,” he said. “I really believe CE is a great family to be a part of, especially with the work required and what we are asked to do. With Prime BEEF we actually get to interact with other sections.”