MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A high-intensity exercise designed to simulate the pressures and realities of combat operations took place May 21, 2025, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
The mission involved packing and loading cargo into an HC-130J Combat King II, executing a quick flight, offloading, and setting up a forward-operating post with full logistical support. This mission required seamless integration across six specialties, from weapons and fuel to communications personnel. The scenario was designed to simulate a real-world deployment where speed, precision, and coordination are essential.
“This was all about making sure our teams are ready for real-world scenarios,” said Master Sgt. Kareem Samuel, 75th Fighter Generation Squadron contingency location lead. “We tested our load plan, completed a combat turn, fueled and loaded munitions on the aircraft and validated our ability to deploy and set up operations in an austere environment.”
The operation began with loading cargo and weapons systems into an HC-130, coordinating closely with the aircrafts loadmasters. Once airborne, the team conducted a brief flight before landing at Moody AFB’s hot cargo pad, where the real test began.
“We offloaded everything, set up security, communications, and established a forward operating base,” Samuel said. “Our entire team was involved -- security forces secured the perimeter, the communications team established links with maintenance control, and we began receiving aircraft.”
One of the players in the operation was Staff Sgt. Aaron Hazard, 75th FGS weapons load crew member.
“My part was to oversee the entire loading operation,” Hazard said. “That includes bombs, and if we had it, any ammo, chaff, flares -- the whole setup.”
For Hazard, the exercise provided invaluable experience.
“This was my first time doing the full setup — from packing cargo, flying, offloading, to establishing operations,” Hazard said. “I’ve only done the loading portion before but doing it all like this was definitely more beneficial.”
The fast-paced environment closely mirrored real-world conditions. One of the biggest challenges was dealing with equipment issues in real time.
“Normally, loading on the flight line gives you more time,” Hazard explained. “But here, with the aircraft running and the pilot waiting, it was high pressure. You have to fix things on the spot. We had a bomb rack that was unserviceable, that’s why we had one bomb left. Normally, we’d have time to swap it out, but this scenario forced us to adapt quickly.”
Despite the pressure, Hazard praised the team’s performance and said the experience will pay off before their next exercise at Avon Park.
“This helped knock the dust off for all of us,” Hazard said. “It was the whole crew’s first time doing it from start to finish, and now we know what to expect in July. I think we’ll be even more prepared next time.”
That sense of growth and readiness was shared by leadership as well.
“The team did a phenomenal job from weapons to security forces to comm. Exercises like this are how we stay mission-ready,” Samuel said. “The real success here wasn’t just that we executed the plan, it’s that every section came together under pressure, adapted when things didn’t go perfectly, and still got the mission done. That’s what makes this team combat capable.”
With the successful conclusion of the exercise, the team began the process of reversing the operation, reloading cargo and preparing for extraction by the HC-130 proving their ability to deploy and redeploy swiftly under realistic combat conditions.