BARKSDALE AFB, LA (KSLA) -
Before soldiers put their boots on Afghan soil and before airmen fly to the Middle East, many U.S. troops make their way to Louisiana.
Barksdale Air Force Base trains airmen from across the country in what they call Green Flag training.
Fighter pilot, Capt. Jonathan Barber is part of the 391st Bold Tigers from Mt. Home, Idaho. They're are at Barksdale for about 2 weeks before they deploy.
"We're leaving in about a month. Where we're going, we can't say," said Barber.
Army soldiers who will deploy at about the same time and to the same area have also come to Louisiana. They are training at Fort Polk about 100 miles South of Barksdale. Green Flag training will bring those two groups, who usually train separately, together.
"This is the one chance to train with the Army at the big brigade level, brigade being 4,000-5,000 soldiers. This is it. The next time they'll see an army like that will be in combat doing it for real," said Lt. Col. Pat McKeever, who leads the training.
Barber compared the military to a football team, each branch with its own position.
"If you're a wide receiver and you run pass sprints over and over, you gotta go scrimmage with the rest of the guys," he said.
Green Flag is the scrimmage before the big game. It helps the different units to trust each other, and simulates several different possible combat scenarios.
Last year, about 1,125 airmen went through Green Flag training at Barksdale.
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