Flight Crew training was always a high caliber operation. The pilots and crew members would work as a team in confined area landings, hoist and sling load operations. During my time in the unit we trained with the Coast Guard doing hoist operations off the back of their motor life boats. We also did helo rappel ground school with the Navy search and rescue flight crews at Falon Naval Air Station.

Flight Medics of the126th received some of the best medical training in the National Guard. The reason for this success was a peer driven system, that assured good quality. With many of the flight medics employed in the civilian emergency response field, training resources were not limited to National Guard resources alone. Often members of the 126th would bring training resources from their civilian employment or arrange for unit members to attend training with other emergency response agencies.

The 126th participated in a number of mass causality exercises. In the photo on the left personnel in causality make up take a break. In addition to these drills with the military we also were involved in training at the state and local level. In past exercises we participated in a major earth quake drill in San Francisco and practiced airlifting fire victims from roof tops in the event of major high rise fires in Sacramento.

As with all military units Air Ambulance companies have to train for the NBC environment .I remember thinking that a war with an NBC aspect would be the end of the world, so why bother. Then years later I ended up in the Gulf War and was thankful for that training and sought more training. Now with the threat of terrorist NBC attack this training is more relevant than ever.

Yes, I know what you are thinking what does a poker game have to do with training. There are some times when the weather will not let you fly and your platoon Sgt. tells you look busy. This was one of those days. When the company commander asked us what we were doing we told him with a straight face "enemy aircraft recognition". We were playing the game with aircraft threat cards. He just walked off and left us to our game.