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353rd Special Operations Group exercises in South Korea

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt Marilyn C. Holliday
  • 352 Special Operations Group Public Affairs
DAEGU AIR BASE, South Korea --  It was all part of the master plan to test the war fighting capabilities of the 353rd Special Operations Group while deployed to Daegu Air Base, Korea, for SOLAR ASCENT, an annual operational readiness exercise.

Alarms and mission oriented protective postures were only a portion of the exercise that included about 400 deployed Airmen. All were tested and reacted to such scenarios as chemical attacks, aircrew decontamination, self aid and buddy care, flight line penetration, building intrusion, sniper attacks, multiple casualties, evacuations and much more. The group’s ability to survive and operate was tested constantly during the exercise.

“It’s truly inspiring to witness the sense of urgency, the pride in organization and the ability to be prepared and ready to react on short notice,” Col. Raymond Chapman, 353rd SOG commander, said. “We’re ready, we’re pumped up and we’re leaning forward.”

For some Airmen the exercise was “old hat,” after deploying for the exercise annually. For Master Sgt. Roslyn Lee, NCO in charge for the Radio Operations Element, her role was more involved than when she deployed to Korea annually from 1992 through 1996.

Back then she was a buck sergeant and then a staff sergeant who served as a radio operator communicating with SOG pilots. This time around she performed her job with Radio Operations plus acted as the facility manager for the ORE, building manager and the alternate Communications Flight chief.

“For me this year was different,” Sergeant Lee said. “I played a bigger role and was able to get more in the mix and in the know for how it’s all done. I’ve always enjoyed this exercise, but I enjoyed it even more this time around.”

Sergeant Lee will be back again next year and will put her lessons learned to use as she prepares for 2007’s exercise. As the facility manager for the headquarters building, she was responsible for sending out sweep teams after attacks, coordinating door guards, evacuating folks to alternate sites, all while ensuring Radio Operations were functioning 24 hours. “The name of the game for me was multi-tasking,” she said.

For those new to the 353rd SOG, the experience was eye opening. “It’s been a learning experience for me,” Staff Sgt. Dawnae Wilson, who is deployed for the first time and is a radio operator with the 353rd Operations Support Squadron, said. “I think that the most stressful part of the exercise for me was being on the sweep team. There was so much going on at one time.”

Sergeant Wilson said that being on the sweep team outside in MOPP 4 was the worst part of the exercise and also the best part – because she learned something new.

“This operational readiness exercise proved to be priceless for the SOG,” Lt. Col. Daren Sears, 353rd SOG inspection chief, said. “The scenarios put together by our individual exercise evaluation team experts were realistic and our operational readiness has improved significantly as a direct result of this exercise.”

The group left home station at Kadena Air Base, Japan, March 7, and will return home in April. Twenty-four hour operations are the norm during the entire event.

“To execute an exercise of this calibre at home station would be ambitious,” Col. Chapman said. “But, to execute this exercise in operational readiness flawlessly while deployed was an outstanding feat.”

Members of the 353rd Operations Support, 353rd Maintenance, 1st Special Operations, 17th Special Operations and 320th Special Tactics Squadrons all participated in the 2006 exercise.