Combat skills training preps Airmen for war

  • Published
  • By Mike Molina
  • ARPC Editor
DENVER --  Rattlesnakes and cactuses spot the fields of Camp Rattlesnake, the site for field training exercises at Buckley Air Force Base. More than 50 Airmen prepared themselves for upcoming deployments during combat skills training there last week. 

The Airmen dragged themselves through the weeds, cactuses and the menacing sounds of rattlesnake tails chattering around them. They pushed through the elements in low crawls, trudged forward on their elbows in the high crawl, then popped up, sprinted and dropped again during the "rush and roll" training.

The individual movement training was only part of the field training exercise that marked the end of the group's expeditionary combat skills training. 

"You better be in shape," said Master Sgt. Robert Steele, SC, one of five ARPC Airmen to attend the training. 

The exercise provided practical application for everything the Airmen studied through presentations and classroom instruction during the course. Along with learning various combat maneuvers through fields, the students learned convoy tactics, self-defense, hand-to-hand combat, and field stripping of the M-16. 

"It's like organized chaos to see how you react," Sergeant Steele said. "You need to know how to react if you're getting shot at." 

Taught by current and former security forces Airmen, the instructors share personal experiences and tips for survival. 

"(The instructors) are very knowledgeable, very experienced. They'd all been there and done it," Sergeant Steele said. 

Also attending the training from ARPC were: Senior Master Sgt. Vince Devera, SC; Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Root, SC; Staff Sgt. Stacy Wilfong, DPS; and Senior Airman Carlos Novelo, DPA. All five are preparing to deploy to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Combat skills training is taught throughout the Air Force, normally for Airmen getting ready to deploy in the next air and space expeditionary force cycle, with priority given to those deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa.