42nd SFS Participates in Crusader Challenge 25-01

March 20, 2025 Hannah Sanchez 42nd SFS, SF Units, USAF Comments Off on 42nd SFS Participates in Crusader Challenge 25-01
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Vaden, right, 42nd Air Base Wing command chief, speaks with Master Sgt. Eric Godinez, 42nd Security Forces Squadron chief weapons and tactics, before Airmen taking on the Crusader Challenge depart on U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, March 14, 2025. The Crusader Challenge is a five-day readiness exercise to help Airmen build cohesiveness, teamwork and improve combat skills through various challenges. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Figueroa.)

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Alabama — U.S. Airmen assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base participated in the Crusader Challenge at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, March 14, 2025. The Crusader Challenge is a five-day readiness exercise for Airmen, helping them build cohesiveness, teamwork and honing combat skills through various challenges.

  • Published 
  • By Senior Airman Elizabeth Figueroa and Senior Airman Tanner Doerr
  • 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs


U.S. Air Force Capt. Laken Watson, left, 217th Training Squadron instructor, and Staff Sgt. Stephanie Bandolin, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Integrated Logistics System Supply requirements manager, dress a simulated wound during a carry on the final day of the Crusader Challenge at the Vigilant Warrior training facility near Titus, Alabama, March 14, 2025. The Crusader Crucible is a five-day exercise designed for Airmen to foster teamwork and encourage separate career fields to work together toward being a more combat ready force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr.)
U.S. Army Sgt. Mitchell Dees, 1-131st Aviation Regiment aircraft mechanic, explains egress training procedures to Airmen on a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, March 14, 2025. During the final day of the challenge, participants utilized their training to complete a simulated helicopter evacuation exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Figueroa.)
Crusader Challenge Class 25-1 poses for a group photo in front of a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, March 19, 2025. The Crusader Challenge is a five-day exercise created to foster teamwork, comradery and combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr.)
U.S. Air Force Airmen lay in formation after exiting U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on the final day of the Crusader Challenge at Vigilant Warrior training facility near Titus, Alabama, March 14, 2025. The Crusader Challenge is a five-day readiness exercise for Airmen, helping them build cohesiveness, teamwork and honing combat skills through various challenges. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Figueroa.)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Laken Watson, left, 217th Training Squadron instructor, Master Sgt. Latrice Rybarczyk, right, 42nd Operational Medical Readiness Squadron senior enlisted leader, and Airman 1st Class Jessie Replogle, middle, 42nd Air Base Wing Command Post operation specialist, make a radio call out at the Vigilant Warrior training facility near Titus, Alabama, March 14, 2025. The Crusader Crucible is a five-day exercise designed for Airmen to foster teamwork and encourage separate career fields to work together toward being a more combat ready force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Figueroa.)
U.S. Air Force Col. Shamekia Toliver, 42nd Air Base Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Vaden, 42nd ABW command chief, participate in the ruck march during the first day of the Crusader Challenge at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, on March 10, 2025. The Crusader Challenge is a five-day challenge which emphasizes team building and foundational skill sets for deployment environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr.)