DREST: Warren members prepare for deployment Published March 7, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Chad Thompson 90th Space Wing Public Affairs F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Fourteen Airmen completed Warren's first Deployment-Ready Expeditionary Skills Training class Feb. 29. The three-day DREST class covers weapon safety and care, care and handling of ammunition, hasty fighting positions, individual and group movements, combat first aid, base defense, personal hygiene in a deployed environment, improvised explosive devices, Law of Armed Conflict and rules of engagement. On the final day, the class concluded with a field training exercise. Since Airmen have started taking on a new role and mission in deployed locations, the need for more extensive training is required, said Staff Sgt. Henry Munoz, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron and one instructor of the DREST class. Throughout the three days, Sergeant Munoz and Senior Airmen Luis Lopez, 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron, gave what they called "tools for your toolbox," sharing knowledge and first-hand experiences while they instructed. "The class is very important to give everyone familiarization of what their role will be in a deployed environment," Sergeant Munoz said. "One day you can be doing your normal every-day duties; the next, you could be in a convoy or defending the base. Everyone needs some sort of deployment training to know what their role is. "I hope that some of the things we teach get stored in the back of these Airmen's minds, and if situations arise, they can reach in that toolbox and use some of the things we have taught," he explained. For example, during a convoy everyone in the vehicle has a role, whether the vehicle takes hostile fire or someone is injured or killed and needs to be replaced. It's important to know and practice your duties, Airman Lopez said. During the field training exercise everyone was given the opportunity to practice some of the things that they learned during class. The FTX was designed to practice the low crawl, the high crawl, the rush and roll, and using team movements to engage a hostile target by combining all the techniques learned. It also gave the student a chance to practice exiting a Humvee under fire and learning what to do if a gunner or driver was killed while the vehicle was in motion. "I think the class was very interesting," said Airman 1st Class Julia Elmore, 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "It refreshed a lot of the things I learned in basic training during warrior week." Airman 1st Class Richard Sherman, 90th LRS, agreed. "The FTX portion was great," he said. "It really culminated the last two days of training, and we got to apply some of the things we learned. "It also shows the value of physical training because we were doing a lot of physical activities. Staying fit to fight is important," he added.