Multi-state Air Guard team brings new training site to Camp Pendleton

A multi-state effort to build a new airfield damage repair training site on Camp Pendleton culminated with a ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 30, 2016, at Virginia National Guard's training installation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The site was constructed by Airmen of the Ohio National Guard's 200th RED HORSE Squadron along with the Virginia Air National Guard's 203rd RED HORSE Squadron and the Montana Air National Guard's 219th RED HORSE Squadron, and it will provide a location for Air Force civil engineers to train on tasks associated with airfield operations and damage repair.

The training site measures 1,000 feet in length and is 150 feet wide, and it replaced an existing asphalt surface. The project placed 550 cubic yards of high strength concrete with more than 2,800 tons of asphalt and 6,000 tons of stone, and the asphalt from the old site will be recycled. It features special areas for creating a simulated crater for training on airfield repair operations and employment of a mobile aircraft arresting system.

The construction project provided Ohio Guard Airmen with real-world training on horizontal construction operations that will help them prepare for both their federal and state missions. They completed the project over eight weeks, with approximately 55 Airmen total serving in two-week rotations.

Read more at at go.usa.gov/xWk7z.