My ATSO experience Published Feb. 13, 2008 By 2nd Lt. Chris Hoyler 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- If you are like me, and prior to this month had no clue what "ATSO" meant and what kind of training it involved, take a second to read about my experiences at ability to survive and operate training Feb. 7. It may make the difference in Team Pope's performance in the Air Mobility Command operational readiness inspection this fall. I'm new to active duty; I've been on since June and have been here since late November. I have zero experience in chemical warfare training and the first time I wore a gas mask was during my fitting test last month. Naturally, I had reservations about going to a training class and trying to function in gear I've never worn before in front of 50 other people, most of whom had plenty of experience in that area. But to make a long story short, getting into mission-oriented protective posture (MOPP) gear is not difficult, and even if you've never done it before, everyone at your training class will be willing to help. The training you will receive there is invaluable, and it's not going to take up an entire day. The instructors are knowledgeable, patient and, surprisingly, entertaining. Everybody makes mistakes, but its better you do so in a training environment than in front of a member of the AMC inspector general team or when a real situation occurs. The next week of mobility exercises is April 7 to 11. ATSO training will be held again that week by the 43rd Civil Engineer Squadron, and even though it is not a mandatory session, it's invaluable as either a refresher or an introduction to the important aspects of individual actions in an ORI. I'm sure the other 119 people who participated last week would agree.