Going the distance

Published Oct. 2, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens
403rd Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- During the October unit training assembly, 403rd Wing members participated in the unit's first fire truck pull. Six teams of sixteen members from various 403rd shops competed in hauling a P19 aircraft rescue firefighting truck 50 feet during the Oct. 1 event here. The goal was to "go the distance" in the shortest amount of time. The team from the 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron claimed victory for the event, pulling the 32,000-pound truck in 26.22 seconds (the truck's water tank was fully loaded). The fire truck pull, sponsored by the 403rd Wing Human Resources Development Council and the Rising VI, was a fun way to highlight the importance of teamwork before the wing's Operational Readiness Inspection scheduled for January 2012, said Colonel Craig LaFave, 403rd WG vice commander.