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Airmen experience modern Army combative training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shane Dunaway
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
More than 20 Airmen and Soldiers honed their grappling skills during a modern Army combative training session held here July 9. The session was part of an extensive five-day hand-to-hand training course.

Airmen from the 644th Combat Communications Squadron, 36th Security Forces Squadron and 254th Guam Air National Guard and Soldiers from the 797th Engineering Company Guam Army Reserve participated in the course designed to teach Airmen and Soldiers how to fight hand-to-hand when weapons aren't practical in a combat situation.

"Willingness to close and engage with an enemy is the defining characteristic of a warrior," said Army Sergeant Vincent Santos, a level two instructor for the course. "This exercise instills in them and desensitizes them to hand-to-hand combat should they have to utilize these skills in a modern-day battlefield."

During the clinch drill, the participants learned various techniques to use on their adversary and were required to execute each move within a minute.

"Nowadays, it doesn't matter if you're combat arms or not - people are taking contact in the battlefield," Sergeant Santos said. "There are numerous accounts of hand-to-hand situations out there. That's why the program is important because there's going to be a time where you may not have small arms to protect yourself."

This is the first time the instructors have been invited to Andersen to conduct the training course. The instructors are members of the 1st Battalion 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard. 

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Byrd, who works at the 644th CBCS combat readiness school, thanked the instructors for their time in showcasing valuable training skills that could one day save his or a fellow Airman's life. 

"The training definitely taught me what to do in case an enemy were to separate me from my weapon," Sergeant Byrd said. "If that happened, I would know how to fight them. Most people would just default to the universal fight method which is just to struggle with the person until one guy gives up. What they taught us here was how to actually end the fight."