CHARLESTON AFB, S.C. (USTCNS) --- Total force took on a new meaning when airmen from Charleston Air Force Base joined forces with the Navy Reserve to make improvements to North Auxiliary Airfield Feb. 2 to 4.

A 317th Airlift Squadron C-17 and aircrew picked up 24 members of the Naval Mobility Construction Battalion 14 from Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Fla., and air-dropped them at the South Carolina airfield as part of an exercise.

In exchange for the ride, the Seabees cut down an earth mound at the end of the runway at North and made it level with the road. The extra dirt, about two acres, has been used to fix damaged roads at the airfield. Navy Lt. Kurt Herbst, Air Detachment officer in charge said the Seabees worked 24 hours a day for two days to fix the flight hazard.

The joint endeavor was the product of an affiliation between the 315th Airlift Control Flight and the NMCB 14.

According to Master Sgt. Bill Griffin, 315th ALCF, his unit trains mobility units on how to prepare cargo for transportation according to Air Force specifications. The ALCF airmen taught the sailors how to prepare, mark and weigh, and stage all cargo for loading.

"We teach them from ground zero how to prepare," said Griffin.

Senior Chief John Taylor, NMCB 14 embarkment chief, said his unit has been unable to arrange for a plane to fly them in the last nine years, so training consisted of loading and unloading a static plane and practicing on paper.

"This is the first opportunity to train to do what we are supposed to do-work with the Air Force," said Storekeeper 2nd Class Randy Scott .

The combined contributions proved to be a win-win situation for both the Air Force and the Navy.

"All this was done for less than $1,000," said Larry Gill, 437th Operations Support Squadron airfield manager. It (the project) proved two separate services can come together to accomplish a task," he added.

For the Navy, the training gave the unit realistic practice on their mission of rapid response for contingency construction, which consists of battle damage and road repairs.

"We're mobile. We get out, get the job done and go home," added Herbst about the unit. "This training was nothing but a positive thing. Everybody's looking at this as a test for doing more things in the future on a bigger scale," he said. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).