FORT BLISS, Texas -- Excitement and relief filled the faces of three Division West Soldiers when they earned their air assault wings Wednesday at Noel Field.
The Soldiers used the inaugural 5th Armored Brigade three-day Pre-Air Assault course, led by Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dunlap, 5th Armored Brigade telecommunications noncommissioned officer, and his team as a gauge and training aid to prepare them for the grueling 10-day course.
"The Pre-Air Assault totally set us up for success," said Staff Sgt. Brian Caskin, 2nd Battalion, 290th Training Support Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade observer coach/trainer.
Caskin, Staff Sgt. Kenyunus Andrews, 3rd Battalion, 364th Engineer Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade observer coach/trainer, and Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Eakins, 1st Battalion, 360th Infantry Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade observer coach/trainer, went to the course confident about skills acquired from the three-day course several weeks earlier.
The Soldiers agreed that the training beforehand provided them a leg up on other Soldiers.
"It saved us a lot of time," said Eakins.
Many Soldiers stayed late to learn and practice what the 5th AR Soldiers experienced during the pre-course.
"The Air Assault guys here gave me the tools and I was able to mimic what's taught in the course, except slingload," Dunlap said.
The course is broken down into three phases: Air Assault Operations, Sling Load Operations and Rappelling.
Not much different than what Dunlap provided during the three-day training.
"We didn't have to focus on the things we learned in the three-day training," said Andrews. "We were able to focus more on tips and hints the cadre provided us."
It was a short window for Dunlap and his team to assess and prepare the Soldiers, but each Soldier benefited because of the three individuals who earned their wings at Noel Field Wednesday. They all excelled in the pre-training.
"The repetitions in the Air Assault training course built muscle memory for the actual Air Assault course," said Eakins.
Command Sgt. Maj. Neil McKinley, 5th AR senior enlisted advisor, sparked the interest for the three-day course in a meeting with Dunlap.
"Sergeant major told me I'd be the NCOIC of the Air Assault training course," said Dunlap. "He gave me the guidelines and I went to work."
The final event to mark the completion and symbolize success for the three 5th AR Soldiers was the 12-mile foot march, an event the Soldiers were prepared to handle as evident by their presence in the graduation formation and the wings on their chest.
McKinley and Dunlap congratulated each of them upon the completion of the ceremony, but they both recognize that it took preparation and hard work from Caskin, Eakin and Andrews to be successful.
"You always want to set Soldiers up for success," said McKinley, "and this was our opportunity to do so and I think we did."
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