Page 1 - Desert Lightning News So. AZ Edition

Vol. 14, No. 12 Serving Southern Arizona’s military community, including Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Look for expanded coverage in the digital edition of Desert Lightning News and on
INSIDE
StorIES
 Airman answers call, 3
 PJ Rodeo, 4
 Historic find, 5
 MXG designs course, 9
 Jammers celebrate 40, 10
FEAtUrE
Senior Airman Alex Miller
Thunder and LighTning
Over arizOna 2021
See Pages 6 & 7 ensure our future CROs are physically strong,
Continue to get Davis-Monthan
Air Force Base latest news and
information from these sources:
http://www.aerotechnews.
com/davis-monthanafb
and social media
Desert Lightning News
Date of publication
First Friday
of the month
Submission deadline
15th day of the month
prior to date of publication
Veterans
Tell us Your Story
Active-duty, Reserve, Retirees
All military branches are included
Email name, phone number and a
brief description of your service to
jenna@aerotechnews.com
December 2021
www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb/.
DM holds Combat Rescue Officer Phase II Screener
Story and photos by Staff Sgt.
KRiSTiNe LegATe
355th Wing Public Affairs
When service members are injured and iso-
lated behind enemy lines, their life depends on
a swift and effective rescue. Highly trained and
equipped with the necessary skills, U.S. Air Force
Combat Rescue officers fill an important role in
the rescue community as subject matter experts
to provide rapid response in any environment, at
home or downrange.
CROs plan, coordinate, manage and execute
Personnel Recovery operations in times of danger
or extreme duress, at war and in peace.
DM recently held the CRO Phase II Screener
for the first time, October 2021, where 16 mem-
bers from various Air Force career fields, both
officers and enlisted, and cadets from multiple
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Detachments,
the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military
Academy West Point, came together to partici- Participants of the Combat Rescue Officer Phase II Screener start a “jerry can
pate. lug” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Oct. 20. The containers, filled
CRO Phase II Screeners are conducted twice with liquid, are weighted and carried for a distance by the candidates after pre-
a year, in spring and fall, and there is a specific viously completing a weighted ruck.
application process to apply.
The overall process focuses on more than just
physical attributes — it tests one’s determination
and mental tolerances.
“This screening process is something unique
to the CRO community,” said U.S. Air Force
Capt. David Reifenberg, 68th Rescue Squadron
assistant director of operations. “We need to
exceptional leaders who can problem solve and
possess a critical set of attributes. It may seem
like a lot, but we need leaders for the future fight
who thrive in environments defined by volatility,
uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.”
Do you have what it takes to be a CRO? More
information is available at: https://www.airforce.
com/careers/detail/combat-rescue-officer.
A participant of the Combat Rescue Officer Phase
II Screener completes the ruck portion and listens
for the next directives from an instructor at Davis-
Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Oct. 20. DM held
the CRO Phase II Screener for the first time, where
members from various Air Force career fields, both
officers and enlisted, and cadets from various com-
missioning sources participated.
LEFT: Combat Rescue Officer Phase II Screener
participants ruck at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,
Arizona, Oct. 20. Rucking is an endurance interval
training workout that involves fast movement with a
weighted rucksack for a distance.