Air Force
GalleryPATRIOT 24 brings National Guard, civilian agencies together for disaster response training
Stars and Stripes
February 22, 2024
When natural disasters strike in the U.S., the National Guard will be ready to help.
That was the aim of PATRIOT, an annual, joint interagency exercise sponsored by the Air National Guard Bureau and conducted Sunday through Thursday at Camp Shelby, Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center and Camp McCain, Miss. The exercise allows civilian emergency management and responders to work with the military in the same manner they would during disasters such as strong storms, according to a National Guard news release announcing the exercise.
“Training jointly allows National Guard members to provide a synergistic response to any disaster,” Lt. Col. Sarah Ashley Nickloes, exercise director, said. “The National Guard serves a dual role, to protect the homeland in addition to serving alongside the active duty forces across the globe when called upon.”
Air National Guard Security Forces members participate in a mass casualty role play exercise at PATRIOT 24 exercise at Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. PATRIOT is a domestic operations disaster-response training exercise conducted by National Guard units working with federal, state and local emergency management agencies and first responders. (Jessica Hulbert/U.S. Air National Guard)
More than 300 civilians, volunteers, National Guard soldiers and airmen from across the country were expected to participate at exercise venues at and around Camp Shelby, the release said.
“I like the communication and integration of multiple units,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Javier Barron of the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas National Guard, in a post on the National Guard Patriot Exercise Facebook page. Barron served as a role player in a civil unrest and mass casualty exercise Monday at Camp Shelby. “It’s interesting to see how much we have evolved in the Security Forces career field. I have enjoyed getting to work with other local agencies.”
Team BUSAR (Backcountry Unit Search and Rescue), a search and rescue organization based in the Great Smoky Mountains, and Air National Guard Security Forces work together to conduct search and rescue operations during PATRIOT 24 exercise at Camp McCain, Grenada, Miss., Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (Jessica Hulbert/U.S. Air National Guard)
Also during the exercise, Team BUSAR (Backcountry Unit Search and Rescue) and Air Force Security Forces squadrons from multiple states conducted search and rescue exercises at Camp Shelby.
“BUSAR tends to specialize in backcountry operations, such as in the Smokies, but the invitation to PATRIOT allows us to expand our scope and skills to civil disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes and search and rescue operations that we have not had a lot of exposure to,” said Tech. Sgt. Wells Holbrook, 134th Air Refueling Wing, in an Air Force news release.
Kato, a 6-year-old multipurpose K9, assists Team BUSAR with search and rescue operations during the PATRIOT 24 exercise. (National Guard Patriot Exercise/Facebook)
Air National Guard Security Forces members participate in a mass casualty role play exercise at PATRIOT 24 exercise at Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Michelle Brooks/U.S. Air National Guard)
Senior Airman LaKeisha Williams with the 174th Attack Wing, Syracuse, N.Y., coordinates via radio with team members during a PATRIOT 24 search and rescue exercise at Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
Mississippi National Guard Staff Sgt. Tres Dobbins, CH-47 Chinook crewman, Company B of the 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, Meridian, Miss., supports aerial transportation of participants during PATRIOT 24, Camp Shelby, Miss., on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (Jessica Hulbert/U.S. Air National Guard)
Airmen place an injured role-play victim on a gurney from aeromedical evacuation via helicopter during a PATRIOT 24 search and rescue exercise, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
Service members on a UH-72 Lakota helicopter prepare to land for injured role-play victims during a PATRIOT 24 search and rescue exercise, Camp Shelby, Miss., Feb. 19, 2024. PATRIOT is a Domestic Operations disaster-response training exercise conducted by National Guard units working with federal, state and local emergency management agencies and first responders. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
An airman bandages an injured role-play victim during a PATRIOT 24 search and rescue exercise, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
Air National Guard Security Forces airmen deliver an injured role-play victim to a UH-72 Lakota helicopter for transport during a PATRIOT 24 search and rescue exercise, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
Airmen participating in PATRIOT 24 survey an area for radiological hazards and notify a role-play homeowner on proper precautions to take during PATRIOT 24, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
Air National Guard Security Forces airmen transport a role-play injured victim during a PATRIOT 24 search and rescue exercise, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Shardae McAfee/U.S. Air National Guard)
Air National Guard Security Forces members participate in a mass casualty event at PATRIOT 24 exercise at Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, Camp Shelby, Miss., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Michelle Brooks/U.S. Air National Guard)