Phase II lessons learned Published Jan. 30, 2006 By Senior Airman Joel Mease 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- The 20th Fighter Wing recently finished its first Phase II exercise of the new year, testing Team Shaw’s ability to operate in the deployed environment.The wing’s command and control and sense of urgency vastly improved from the Phase II in November, said Lt. Col. Miles deMayo, 20th Fighter Wing Plans and Inspections chief.The wing made many steps to improve, including getting information up the chain faster, said Col. Bill Hyatt, 20th Fighter Wing commander.Even though there were improvements, Lt. Col. deMayo said there are still some focus areas Airmen need to work on as a whole."Airmen have done a better job recognizing (that) self-aid and buddy care needs to be done, but we still need to remember what steps to take after recognizing the problem," said Lt. Col. deMayo."It's the small things that we really need to focus on now. It’s these small things that will really hurt us when the inspector general decides to inspect our Phase II," he said.Another area requiring improvements is the need to look out for other Airmen. Some Airmen feel they do not need to follow the rules. Airmen who don’t follow the rules receive “dumb kill” cards and fill sandbags as a result. Since the hurricane season is coming up and with it comes the need for sandbags, it doesn’t bother evaluators to have Airmen fill sandbags for a couple hours, Lt. Col. deMayo said."It really is incumbent on the NCO ranks to make sure Airmen are doing the right thing during the exercise. This has improved from the last exercise, but it is still an area where we can improve on," said Lt. Col. deMayo.Remaining fit is also an area the wing can focus on. During the exercise, fatigue was a factor for many Airmen. The best way to combat fatigue is to stay in shape, Lt. Col. deMayo said.If there is more attention to detail, the next exercise in March will go much smoother, he said."Let's continue to improve on the small things and keep our heads in the game for our next Phase II," said Col. Hyatt.