Port Dawg teams fight to be Top Dawg

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joshua Slavin
  • 4th Combat Camera Squadron
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. --  Over the past three days, Airmen from 26 aerial port squadrons, including six Airmen assigned to the 445th Airlift Wing's 87th Aerial Port Squadron, gathered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, to compete in the grueling Port Dawg Challenge. The PDC is an opportunity for the airmen to showcase their abilities, receive valuable training from senior noncommissioned officers and build a sense of camaraderie with other units they may work with while deployed.

"This competition brings a new element to the training because of the camaraderie," said Lt. Col. Heather McCue, 2015 Port Dawg Challenge commander. "This is all-encompassing and tests all your skills as an aerial porter."

Altogether there were 12 different events that were designed to test the teams both mentally and physically. Among the events were a written exam, physical fitness challenge, and timed everyday tasks that an APS Airman might see.

With more units than the active duty Air Force, McCue believes that this competition is crucial to real world success.

"The most important thing is the teamwork as a whole and as an Air Force community," stated McCue. "The better off we're trained, the better off for the Air Force. We can be better, safer and more efficient."

The PDC was judged by a group of umpires consisting of SNCO's from the various units that attended. Having such an experienced crew allowed for an educational environment within the competition. After each event the umpires would take time to go over any mistakes that were made and what the proper steps are to correct them.

Senior Master Sgt. Denim Kurtzhals, PDC umpire, was one of the judges for the pallet build-up challenge. The event required a team of three Airmen to take information regarding weight and sizes from given documentation and properly secure the cargo to a pallet within an allotted time.

"I hope the participants walk away from this with a better sense of what it means to work as a team," Kurtzhals said. "For me, the most rewarding part of being an umpire is seeing the teams come together and learn something new."

After three days of intense competition in mid-90 degree heat, the PDC came to an end. Although each team performed well, there could only be one champion. After winning three of the 12 individual events, the 76th APS from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, ultimately came out as the 2015 Top Dawg.