00:12A TFT stands for a deployment for training. It simulates an actual deployment exercise. It gives
00:18Ehrman hands-down experience, the training they need for an actual deployment. It's a program
00:25made up by the National Guard Bureau that different units from across the country go work at different
00:31locations from across the world. At this specific location, at Seward, Alaska, there is a project
00:37that costs around $1.2 million. Now this benefits both units, the National Guard Bureau, and the
00:46resort because it saves a lot of money for the resort. It saves over 80% of the cost because
00:51of
00:51manpower, but it also accomplishes a lot of training hours, a lot of hands-on experience
00:57that the airmen can never gain for their two-week training that they accomplish per year.
01:05Being 500 miles from our headquarters, we're out of sight, out of mind a lot. It was really
01:11hard to get projects done that needed to be done. Two years ago, we had all of our buildings,
01:18the outside of our buildings painted for the first time since 1996. So it just took a lot
01:23longer because we're so far away. So these DFT projects have saved us millions of dollars,
01:31first of all, in labor. And second of all, we would never have gotten approval to do these
01:36projects because of the cost.
01:40We were selected by NGV this year to come out to Seward. A lot of times they try to align
01:47us
01:47with the training that we are requesting. And there's all kinds of different projects
01:53out there throughout this DFT program.
01:58The resort, they have to create their own revenue to pay for stuff. And with limited budgets,
02:05getting assistance like this and being a two-fold benefit scenario where we get training and
02:09they get work done, it saves them from paying a contractor out of their budget to come in
02:15and do the same work. Why can't we do this at McIntyre and why do we do it here? That's
02:22a question that always comes up. So if we started a project on McIntyre, there's no way that we
02:27can really finish a meaningful project in two weeks. You're talking four to six months sometimes
02:32to get these projects done and a multitude of rotations that run through. And they organize
02:36and sponsored by NGV. So we don't get to pick the site that we go to. We apply for it
02:42and they assign
02:43us a site. It could be 4,500 miles away or it could be 10,000 miles away.
02:49The other thing that's great about this DFT is we got a couple of different AFSCs as well. I mean,
02:54we have a couple of PA, we have four services, FSS folks, a CSS and one comm guy. Having everybody
03:01kind of work together and get to know each other and spend that time together, they've built those
03:05relationships to where they can work together better. You know, a year from now when we deploy
03:09and go downrange, those people might be on the same deployment. And when they have to work together,
03:14they already have a relationship built. Being out here with C has been great. We've seen a lot of
03:22different things, got a lot of different experience. We're working in a DRMKT kitchen that we don't get
03:26the experience normally at our unit. So being out here has also gotten us some manual training that
03:31we wouldn't be able to get hands on back at our unit. So essentially me, I love services. I love
03:37FSS.
03:37Food is the heart of everything to me. So when you're downrange or you're away from home or you're
03:42doing these different jobs on your annual training, food is the morale booster to us. So providing
03:46these meals keep people to look forward to something. Wake up, we got breakfast, okay? We got hard work
03:50to do, we're in the field, we got lunch to look forward to, dinner to look forward to. So adding
03:54cookies,
03:54little elements like that is what keeps people's morale high while we're out here. At the 169th, being a guard
04:00unit, traditionally we do our normal field feeding two days out the month. We might do our home station
04:05readiness but being downrange and doing this actual training helps with mission readiness because
04:11you actually get a taste of what it's really like. For me, a lot of it's just a learning experience
04:18because obviously I'm very new and we're basic. Just got to the squadron, so I mean the guys are really,
04:24they work with me. At first I start off a little slow but they show me the ropes real quick
04:30and then I
04:30kind of shoot off with it. But they're real understanding with the learning and everything.
04:35The training is fantastic for me. I obviously, you know, brand new so a lot of stuff I don't know
04:42but I keep my hands busy and they make sure that I have stuff to do at all times and
04:46that they're,
04:47you know, walking me through it if need be. So it's been fantastic so far.
04:55The buildings will stay here, the projects will stay here but they experience leaves with every
04:59airman. Years from now they'll remember the lessons they learned, the people they worked beside and
05:04the confidence they gained here. That's the point of this deployment that doesn't end when the buses pull
05:08away.
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