- Warriors all–”Charlie” Flight, from CAST 12-C.
I just finished some pre-deployment training (Combat Airman Skills Training, a.k.a. CAST) at Ft Dix, New Jersey. I spent the past two weeks learning how to ride in a vehicle convoy, provide emergency care for my combat buddies, and generally doing all the things people imagine military members do. The training was pretty enjoyable (even if the food at the dining facility was not), and I feel much better about heading down range in the near future.
For anyone who will attend CAST at Ft Dix (as opposed to one of the other three training locations), I recommend not bringing all the items on your reporting instructions–there’s no way you need four sets of ABUs for two weeks. Instead, bring gear for training outdoors, doing lots of low-crawling, hauling “injured” classmates around, and riding around in HMMWVs. You’ll also be wearing IBA and helmet almost all day, so make sure you have tried on everything and it fits properly (your vest should be snug enough so that you can cinch it up at the waist and take some of the weight off your shoulders). You’ll also have some leisure time in the evenings, but students are restricted to base–so you’ll likely find yourself at the dining facility, the Expeditionary Center library/lounge (you can use the government CAC-enabled computers, or your own laptop via the free WiFi), working out at the E.C. gym or track, and of course in your dorm room (possibly with lots of roommates).
You can view photos of past CAST students in action at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center’s public website.
