An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Defend the Base: 332nd WSA Airmen familiarize on firearms

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jillian Torango
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Do you know what you would do if you had to defend your base, your convoy, or even your workcenter from an attack? Seven members of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Staff Agencies got the opportunity to test their mettle when they teamed up with the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron for weapons familiarization training at a firing range here March 23.

Lined up at an outdoor range were the M-240 and the M-249 machine gun and two M-4 rifles. After a safety briefing from a Combat Arms instructor, each shooter was familiarized with the weapons in front of them and they began to fire.

One might ask why a lawyer, historian or photographer would need to become comfortable firing these types of weapons.

"I think it is very important for every Airman to be comfortable firing a weapon -- especially for the WSA who are the wing commander's personal staff," said Maj. Timothy McCarty, 332nd ESFS commander, who is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

"For example, if there were an active shooter, we're conditioned to having Airmen take cover and report their status to the proper agencies," he said. "Every Airman is a sensor and eventually I'd like to see our culture change from having Airmen lock their doors to them grabbing a weapon if it came down to it."

One leader jumped at the chance to see what his Airmen would do with this type of familiarization training.

"Most Airmen don't ever really get a chance to train with anything other than an M9 pistol or an M4 rifle," said Lt. Col. Paul R. Carlton III, 332nd AEW director of staff, who is also deployed from Hill. "Therefore, training opportunities like this give us a chance to become more familiar with these additional weapons that we could potentially be required to use."

One Airman who participated in the training said it not only made him feel comfortable with the weapons, but more importantly, it made him more appreciative of the job security forces Airmen do every day.

"This training gave me some insight on what security forces Airmen do every day and what capabilities they have," said Tech. Sgt. Timothy Sands, 332nd AEW flight safety NCO, who is deployed from Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. "I am a lot more comfortable in the tools they use to defend the base and protect us."