Laughlin members receive BMT tour

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Scott Saldukas
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Eight Laughlin members received an immersion tour of Basic Military Training facilities and procedures June 17 at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

The eight Laughlin members volunteered to attend the tour and represented career fields throughout the wing. The tour was intended to help Laughlin members gain a better understanding of what today's newest Air Force trainees are going through and show the foundations instilled early in their careers.

"It's great for us to come up here and gain a better understanding of what goes into training our newest Airmen," said Capt. Ryan Wong, 47th Operations Support Squadron.

The tour began by attending the graduation parade for the newest Airmen to enter the Air Force. Following the parade, Laughlin's tour group had the opportunity to meet with military training instructors from the 322nd Training Squadron and experience what time at the squadron was like during the eight and a half weeks of training.

"We like when people come up to see what is going on here," said Staff Sgt. Stephen Webber, 322nd TRS military drill and ceremonies NCO in charge. "Sometimes things get misconstrued or just change. For those who came through 10 years ago or even just two years ago, there have been drastic changes. Tours such as this are a great opportunity to see how we are now training warrior Airmen with character."

During the tour, Laughlin members learned about dorm application, basic drill movements, physical training, field exercises and weapon handling procedures. They also had the opportunity to eat lunch at the dining facility with a flight of future Airmen who are currently attending basic training.

"As an officer, I wasn't exactly sure what went on here during training," Captain Wong said. "I think this is a great experience for us as leaders to know what kind of experiences new Airmen have and what their foundations are set at so that can be better guide them. If someone has the opportunity to take advantage of an experience like this, they definitely should."

Laughlin members can anticipate future tours of the BMT facilities and should watch the Laughlin Facebook page for updates on upcoming tour dates.