KIRTLAND Air Force Base, N.M. - On April 4-5, 2020, the 150th Special Operations Wing held their first virtual unit training assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19, Airmen in the New Mexico Air National Guard were approved to telework from their respective homes.
This gave Airmen the ability to continue their training without compromising their safety.
“I think it gave us the opportunity to try new training skill sets... and see which areas need to be improved. It was a successful VUTA.” Said Master Sgt. Roberto Bilbao, 150th SOW Safety.
Units in the wing were given guidelines tailored to their specific mission. Airmen also completed required annual computer-based training (CBT) and watched additional training hosted by members of the Airmen Care Center hosted online.
Master Sgt Christopher Shain Tanner, 150th Mission Support Group first sergeant said, “VUTA has been a great opportunity to complete extensive and varied training. I believe that without the virtual drill it would have been nearly impossible to get all this training done.”
As in any new challenge there will be learning points as progress is made.
Master Sgt. Rebecca Sander, 150th SOW first sergeant emphasized how adaptable and cooperative Airmen have been during this VUTA.
“I've been impressed by the flexibility of our members! We have run into challenges..., but we've done a great job as a team to overcome them. We've identified areas that didn't work that we will address for the future,” Sander said.
The Air Force utilizes the concept of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, which consists of four pillars—mental, physical, social and spiritual fitness. The social pillar can be challenged due to safety restrictions initiated by state and federal leadership. While keeping the citizens of New Mexico the priority, guard leadership makes sure to keep in mind the safety and wellbeing of the Guardsmen themselves. Sander believes VUTA will not only help the logistical side of training but also the social struggles that come with social distancing.
“We are all isolated now, and by coming together as a unit, we can ease that feeling of being separated from our normal life,” Sander said.
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2020 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 368928 |
| Location: | NEW MEXICO, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 150th SOW Airmen train through virtual UTA, by SSgt Ryan Sanders, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
