7 SFS airmen prepare for Global Strike Challenge

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Charles V. Rivezzo
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Editor's Note: This is part three in a three-part series highlighting the 2011 Global Strike Challenge teams.

When people hear the words training camp, thoughts of professional athletes preparing for their upcoming season come to mind. For a hand selected group of 7th Security Forces Squadron airmen, these two words mean something completely different.

"We had around 15 to 20 of our guys tryout, and only seven made the final cut," said Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Kennon, coach of the 2011 7 SFS Global Strike Challenge team.

The seven selected airmen completed a one-and-a-half mile run wearing a 40-pound flak vest, helmet, ammunition and their weapons, as well as a half-mile run in gas-masks to move on to training camp.

"For the next month, our main priority is to prepare our airmen to compete against the best Global Strike Command has to offer," Kennon said. "We train five-days-a-week for events we will encounter at global strike, everything from map and compass training to weapons firing to patrols. We expect to take this year's trophy home."

During the competition, security forces teams from each of the Air Force Global Strike Command bases, as well as Dyess and Ellsworth AFB, will compete in marksmanship on the M-4, M-9, M-240 and M-203 weapons systems, combat tactics and priority resource defense, and the mental and physical challenge event.

"If we have someone who is weak in a certain area we want to build that individual up," Kennon said. "Teamwork will be the key to whether or not we win this year's challenge."

Last year was the first time 7 SFS had competed in the GSC and found it to be a learning experience.

"We want to improve and build off of how we competed in last year's challenge," added Kennon. "We are motivated and anxious to showcase just how capable the 7th Security Forces Squadron really is. Our airmen are the best the Air Force has to offer and we expect nothing less than first place."

The security forces competition is scheduled to begin Nov. 5 at Barksdale, with the symposium and score posting to follow.