ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Members across the Air Mobility Operations Wing participated in a Port Dawg Rodeo during exercise Cope North 21 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, February 11, 2021. It’s not often the members of the AMOW get a chance to train together. Since they are gathered here for Cope North, they decided to put on a rodeo to sharpen their skills, build comradery and improve their aptitude within each squadron.

The participants who competed are Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Yokota Air Base, Japan; and both the 734th Air Mobility Squadron and the 44th Aerial Port Reserve Squadron on Andersen AFB.

“This rodeo is a proficiency competition,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Brower, the officer in charge of passenger services assigned to the 732nd Air Mobility Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. “Each team is competing to finish the events the fastest, while also adhering to safety standards. The rodeo is beneficial to each squadron because we get to see how our sister squadrons operate and learn strategies to take home with us, and it allows the AMOW to mobilize its forces to be able to support the mission whenever and wherever needed.”

The rodeo consisted of four events which included a physical relay, a forklift driving course, a pallet movement exercise and a pallet build-up.

“This was my first rodeo I got to participate in,” said Sean Baudier, a material machine operator assigned to the 734th AMS at Andersen AFB, Guam. “The rodeo allowed us to do something a little different and gave us a chance to have a friendly competition while testing our knowledge and skills.”

While each unit may have slightly different day-to-day missions, their big picture goal is all the same; getting personnel and cargo where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.