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News - Bivouac at “Area 51-1/2,” 22 July 2010
EL PASO, Texas – On July 16, 2010, as the sun broke through the stormy clouds after a long, cold rain in El Paso, Texas, the Desert Aces of TX-215 El Paso Composite Squadron made their way out to the middle of nowhere to begin their long awaited bivouac. With Flight Officer Zach Crandall in the lead and Capt. Rolando Torres at the wheel of the van, they drove down the long, bumpy dirt road towards the campsite. The journey seemed never-ending, and wound into the wilderness 30 miles west of Sunland Park, N. M. The lonely and desolate place suggested its own name – Area 51-1/2 – to the Desert Aces’ unsure mind.
With a catchy name for the campsite, the cadets broke out their tents and began building their very own Area 51-1/2. Since there was a fire pit already, it was decided to camp around it. As cadets slowly and nervously picked their camping spots, a problem arose, who would be at the center of the arc around the fire? It was soon decided to give that spot to the biggest tent, later renamed Hotel De California because it could fit eight cadets rather than two, as did the other tents.
As the sun was setting behind the hills, the Desert Aces soon realized it was time to build a fire. Being the Staff, Cadet 1st Lt. Kenneth R. Griffing III, and Cadet Senior Master Sgt. William R. White were the first to hunt for wood. With the fire built, a fire guard shift was set up. The first shift was manned by Cadet Airman Manny Garcia, later known as “Fire Man” for his amazing ability to keep the fire burning. The following shifts were manned by Cadet Airman Basic Bradford Clements, Cadet Airman 1st Class Mario Contreras, Cadet Senior Master Sgt. William White, and finally Cadet 1st Lieutenant Kenneth Griffing.
After a long night of performing CPR on the campfire, and only collectively 30 minutes of sleep, the cadet staff woke up at 4:30 a.m. At 5:00, the cadets were roused by the loud, high-pitched scream of Cadet Senior Master Sgt. White’s Fox 40 Whistle and the loud megaphone of Cadet 1st Lt. Griffing. The cadets snapped to attention outside their tents, not knowing what the day would have in store for them.
First came Physical Training that normally is hard by itself, but the Desert Aces faced a whole new enemy, darkness. After running a mile and waiting for the sunrise, the cadets filed into the van to get their very first MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). With a mix of different menus, cadets carefully made their choices.
Capt. Rolando Torres and Flight Officer Zach Crandall proceeded to teach the Desert Aces how to handle the new and odd MREs. With the MREs gone, cadets changed into their BDUs and proceeded to the classroom area.
The day consisted of First Aid and Search Techniques and many exercises to practice them. These mini-Search and Rescue Exercises were basic missing person searches. Flight Officer Crandall and Cadet 1st Lt. Giffing took turns at “getting lost,” and the other cadets had to find them. There was a total of four exercises across the desert, running throughout the afternoon. After the work was done, the Desert Aces played a game of Capture the Flag.
After a long day of learning, the second fire got started, and so did its fire watch. What the exhausted cadets did not expect was a Search and Rescue Operation only hours after lights out, at 2:15 a.m.: a simulated, realistic mission. The scenario was that Flight Officer Zach Crandall had to recon Rattle Snake Tank for a test on the following day and was 2 hours over his estimated time of arrival (ETA). This was a perfect story for a realistic mission at Area 51-1/2 . Unfortunately, the long day had affected not only the cadets but also the cadet Staff, who slept through the alarm clock. So the SAREX was postponed until the morning.
Once again the cadets woke up to the scream of Cadet Senior Master Sgt. White’s whistle, only to learn that a lost aircraft with one pilot was within an 8-mile radius from the camping area.
The confident Desert Aces, sure of their newly-polished skills, set out to find their objective. Only the Cadet Staff knew that this was a SAREX; to the cadets, it was a real mission. The objective was Flight Officer Crandall’s truck (masquerading as the airplane) and Flight Officer Crandall as the pilot. With a few minor detours caused by wildlife, the Desert Aces secured both objectives within the hour, passing their final exam.
The cadets packed up and got ready to head back to the squadron building. The Desert Aces left Area 51-1/2 tired, hungry, and dirty, but they were smiling with a deep sense of accomplishment. They had gone into Area 51-1/2 with no experience in Search and Rescue or survival. They were now leaving with the knowledge that, should an airplane or person go missing, they would have the skills, training, and confidence to save lives.
Cadet Senior Master Sgt. William White, CAP