ANG security forces protect Ardent Sentry participants

  • Published
  • By Sgt. 1st Class Roy Henry
  • CONR Public Affairs
SAVANNAH COMBAT READINESS TRAINING CENTER, Ga. --  While more than 250 participants of Exercise Ardent Sentry '10 are here honing their skills to protect American citizens against threats from the air, Airmen of the Georgia Air Guard's 165th Security Forces Squadron are protecting them on the ground. 

Sgt. Andrew Bryant is team chief for 'Talon 1,' an Avenger missile battery belonging to the South Carolina Army Guard's 263rd Army Air Missile Defense Command. He and his Soldiers occupy one of several tactical sites that make up the air defense ring around the Savannah metro area.

"This isn't the first time my crew and I have worked with Air Force or Air Guard security forces, and I can tell you -- it's a good feeling to know they're around, on top of things," Sergeant Bryant said.

The unit is part of the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah, and much of what the unit does -- patrolling the flightline and property occupied by the wing and the training center -- is no different now from any other day. What is different is the heightened sense of awareness that comes with an exercise like Ardent Sentry, said Lieutenant Roy Fountain, the unit's operations officer.

"Not only are we paying even more attention to who, or what, is on the flightline or on post, we have the Joint Air Defense Command -- Mobile to monitor those events," he explained. "Our folks are also tasked with patrolling the Avenger and Sentinel radar sites and checking on their crews.

"Each piece of the security mission has its own distinct challenges," Lieutenant Fountain added. "But our folks are certainly up to the job."

Airman 1st Class Darius Trammell, who recently graduated from security forces training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, returned just in time for Ardent Sentry. Airman Trammell and other members of the 165th SFS guard the JADOC-M entrance. It's his first experience with a mission such as this.

"I appreciate the opportunity to serve and protect the military and civilian personnel who are part of the exercise," he said between checking badges of those wanting access to the JADOC-M compound. "I'm a hands-on kind of person, so I enjoy being on the front line. My fellow Airmen and I take our jobs seriously, so we don't treat this as just another exercise."

By treating it as the 'real deal,' they do more than learn from their mistakes, he said. They do it right the first time.

Sgt. Junior Chupp is senior operator for the 263rd's 'Eagle Eye 3' and a few other Sentinel sites. In his travels between sites, he often runs into the 165th AW Airmen during their patrols. Having them on the job, he said, makes him feel just a bit more comfortable.

"If something happens out here, whether it's part of the exercise or a real incident, it's good to know the 165th and the local authorities (Savannah Metro Police and Jasper County, S.C., Sheriff's Office) are on top of the situation," Sergeant Chupp said.