Trainer-mentors key to Airmen readiness for JRTC training

Published Sept. 1, 2009
By Maj. Michiko R. Riley and Bekah Clark
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

FORT POLK, La. -- When you hear the name "trainer-mentor," it may sound like an occupation where odd words of wisdom are dispensed during martial-arts training. "But not so, grasshopper...," as one of the Airmen serving in the role might say while working at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

Trainer-mentors, or TMs, are responsible for preparing Airmen for future and current military operations in realistic, war-time scenarios. Most recently, a group of Airmen served this role during the JRTC Exercise 09-09 at Fort Polk from Aug. 18 to 25.

During the exercise, Airmen trained side-by-side with Army Soldiers to coordinate medical care and evacuation, airdrops and airlift to enhance joint operational readiness.

"Our primary focus, through the exercise, is to prepare mobility air forces for combat employment," said Lt. Col. Derek Waterman, 34th Combat Training Squadron director of operations at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

The process to become an aeromedical evacuation, or AE, trainer-mentor is highly selective, said Senior Master Sgt. Jon Sorak, a senior AE TM from Air Mobility Command's Operations Directorate at Scott AFB, Ill.

"Trainer-mentors must have a natural born teaching ability," Sergeant Sorak said. "We hand-pick them because they need to be exemplary and form well in this training environment. We're not looking for dictators or folks who tell 'BAMBI' [Back at my base I...] stories. They have to be the best and the brightest."

TM candidates for AE first must excel as a "player" in previous JRTC exercises and have experience deploying in support of real-world operations. They must also complete a seven-day course involving tactical vehicle operations, land navigation and relevant combat operations, Sergeant Sorak said. In addition, they participate as a TM during a JRTC exercise while being closely evaluated by the senior TM.

Aircrew TMs acted as the "eyes and ears" of the 34th CTS by flying along on missions to provide safety oversight and mission focus. TMs also provided feedback and mentoring to players.

Maj. Doug Watjus, a TM with the 34th CTS, said trainer-mentors tailored inputs to the varying degrees of experience for aircrews. He said that while TMs provided scoring for AMC reporting, the primary role of all instructors was to serve as instructors, not evaluators.

"All mentors are experienced and should be looking at the exercise from a large picture view," said Major Watjus. "TMs improve unit and mobility air forces by providing immediate feedback to crews and highlighting strengths and weakness."

"There is more to the TM side than just correcting mistakes," said Tech. Sgt. Scott Amos from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and a TM-in-training. Sergeant Amos completed the JRTC exercise with honors three months ago. "You're ensuring safety and mission capability, and providing relevant mentorship," he said.

Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility, or MASF teams, along with other units training at JRTC, should not expect TM's to provide quick solutions when scenarios get tough. Airmen will need to work as a team and solve those problems on their own.

"Trainer-mentors have to guide them to gain the knowledge," said Master Sgt. Drew McCabe, TM for the MASF. "They'll gain more knowledge about how a MASF functions."

One of the biggest challenges for TMs is learning how to be an observer and not a player.

"Not being allowed to do patient care and take care of the mission at hand is extremely difficult," said Sergeant Amos. "Being someone who has been hands-on my entire 23 years in the military, and all of a sudden you can't do that, is not fun but it is a learning experience."

Despite the long hours and time away from home for a JRTC exercise, the TMs and players agree that the hard work is worth the effort.

"I know they'll walk out of here with more than what they came with," said Sergeant McCabe. "For that to happen as a teacher is very rewarding."

"I was hesitant coming out here but it's been one of the best experiences I've had in my 19 years in the military," said Maj. Velda Johnson, flight nurse from the 6th Medical Group at MacDill AFB, Fla., who participated in JRTC 09-09. "All the information provided by the TMs helped us improve on what we were doing."