82nd Training Wing commander visits training detachment

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Jhames Illanez
  • 373rd TRS, Det. 7
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Commanding a unit is the most challenging and rewarding experience in any officer's career. 

More challenging is commanding detachment units scattered around the world and finding the time to visit every one of them. For Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux, taking the time to visit each detachment to meet his instructors is the best part of the job. 

General Devereaux is the commander of the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. He is responsible for the technical and healthcare training of approximately 40,000 Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps students each year. General Devereaux is also responsible for an additional 50,000 students worldwide through the wing's field training detachments. 

He recently stopped at the Field Training Detachment 7, 373rd Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field. Det. 7 provides advanced aircraft maintenance training to the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, components of the Department of Defense and allied nations on A/M/C-130E/H/J/P/U/W aircraft and MH-53J/M helicopters. 

General Devereaux spent the day talking with the instructors and learning about the various multi-million dollar trainers used to teach aircraft maintainers. The most impressive is the Armament System Maintenance Trainer which is a C-130A fuselage converted to an AC-130U gunship with fully functioning 25mm, 40mm and 105mm weapon systems. 

"The ASMT is an almost autonomous trainer used to teach the maintenance complexity of each weapon system as accurately as possible," said Tech. Sgt. Zackary Fowkes, 373rd weapons instructor. 

The detachment relies heavily on trainers to substitute aircraft because of the low-density/high-demand nature of Air Force Special Operations Command assets. 

The general ended his visit with a commander's call during which he reiterated how impressed he was with the professionalism and knowledge of every instructor. "You truly are the best of the best in your career field and it is evident in the quality of students that graduate through the training detachment."