 Readiness is one of the key elements needed in order to respond efficiently to an emergency. The U.S. Army Aviation Battalion Japan recently conducted a downed aircraft casualty exercise alongside U.S. Army Garrison Japan fire and emergency services in order to evaluate the effectiveness of their standard operating procedures. Aircraft exercise, even though we conduct it here on Cassner, more than likely it's not going to happen here. It's going to happen outside our camps on the walls and we won't have any jurisdiction. But here we can kind of practice in a controlled environment and make sure that we're taking care of our aircrew members just in case if an accident occurs. The exercise included joint training between the Aviation Battalion and USAG Japan firefighters. This allowed them to test their emergency responsiveness and also gauge the level of coordination between the two organizations. This is the first time we trained on a scenario where the rotor of the Black Hawk helicopter was running while we were doing the exercise. Because of that, it was sometimes challenging to give instructions and communicate with my crew over the radio. I think it's important to continue training with my crew in this kind of environment so eventually we'll be able to work together as seamlessly as possible. Readiness, all the way. Whenever you're in an emergency situation, I feel like you want to have faith that the people on the ground are ready and prepared. So I know that flying around in the future after this drill, I know personally what to expect as a crew member and the people on the ground are ready to receive me and take the best possible care of me. Reporting for US Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs, this is Dustin Perry.