The 74th participated in five exercises since August just to prepare for this ORI, said 2nd Lt. Kristine Buser, 74th ACS scheduling officer. These deployments aren't considered temporary duties because they deploy to a location on base. Having an ORI just weeks before deploying to Southwest Asia can put a lot of tension on a squadron. The learning curve is extremely high for most everyone here.
Families have to remain supportive as well.
With new and young troops come new and young families who might not know the weight of being married to the military. While the first phase focused on maintenance and the ability to deploy, the second will target operations. Inspectors will test the 74th on their ability to control aircraft and handle emergencies and contingencies as they arise. Though the Phase II normally includes the 24-hour regeneration of the site and then operation of the equipment, the squadron performed the regeneration in garrison during the first phase because equipment is already at the deployed location. The 74th will leave for the Persian Gulf at the end of March.