Course arms women with vital self defense skills

Published March 30, 2010
By Senior Airman Mindy Bloem
506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq -- According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network Web site, one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Therefore, most people know someone who has been affected by some form of sexual abuse.

This startling statistic is just one reason the women of Kirkuk Regional Air Base should consider attending the Rape Aggression Defense course offered at the Karate Kat every Saturday and Sunday.

Staff Sgt. Robert Lugo, a combatives instructor with the 501st HHC Brigade Support Battalion, deployed from Fort Bliss, Texas, teaches this course and has been teaching it since 2006 as a way to keep women from falling prey to these types of attacks.

"It's a defense against abduction," he said. "It's a comprehensive course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and risk avoidance, and then progresses to the basics of hands-on defense training."

He said the class is tailored specifically for females. Because of that he, as a male instructor, had to go through an extensive background check and training.

Due to the fact sexual assault can happen anywhere, Sergeant Lugo's leadership helped him implement the program and gave him all the support he needed.

In addition, the women of 501st BSB have been instructed to attend the course as a safety precaution.

During the final class segment the women play out certain scenarios with two role playing assailants. The role players actually attack the women and the women must use their training to fend off the attack. The women are taught to disengage and run.

"It's nerve-racking, so it feels like it prepares you for what the real thing would really be like," said Sgt. Susan Henry, 501st BSB health care specialist. "In this class, you see how you'd actually react in this type of situation, so it prepares you."

Sergeant Lugo has gotten positive feedback from not only the women who attend the course, but from their family members as well.

"I have gotten some great responses from family members back home," he said. "That's awesome to hear because it can be scary to have your loved one over here. My other half is back in the States, but if she were deployed, I would be worried about her for that reason. A lot of husbands have thanked me for teaching this course to their wife."

Sergeant Lugo said there will always be predators, but the right training can help reduce a woman's chances of becoming a victim.

"You are always going to have sick individuals out there who are just going to attack females because they think they're bigger and tougher than they are," he said. "I tell the females in my class they are not the weakest link. You are stronger than you think you are. Stay calm and pay attention to what's going on, and you can get yourself out of most anything."

He said the best way to prevent an attack is just being aware of the dangers.
"We teach women if you don't look like a victim, you are not going to be a victim," Sergeant Lugo said.

Sergeant Henry agrees.

"I think there is always that issue anywhere you go, and it's just always about being aware of your surroundings and making sure you don't put yourself in a bad situation," she said.

Things like poor lighting at night and walking alone are factors to keep in mind while deployed, said Sergeant Henry.

Sergeant Henry said the class helps alleviate some of those fears and builds confidence.

"Women should absolutely take the class because it's very good and helps teach you various techniques," she said. "You don't always know how you're going to react in that situation, and it's always good to have some skills and knowledge in the back of your head in case it ever does happen."

Sergeant Lugo said women who are interested in taking the course should contact him for more details. His contact information can be obtained from the recreational center on base.