Soldiers teach 380th AEW Army combatives class

Published Nov. 11, 2012
By Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Two soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment here are helping 380th Air Expeditionary Wing members learn how to combat potential threats by using confidence and strength.

1st Lt. Christian Pierce and Sgt. Derrick Kistler began a month-long basic combatives class here Nov. 5.

The Army level one class runs for two hours a day, five days a week and is open to anyone interested in learning how to "work from the ground up" in combating a threat.

"Most fights end up on the ground, so that's where we start," said Kistler, a Nashville, Ga., native. "It creates a good foundation to work from."

Although the Army requires all its officers to be certified in Level One Combatives at a minimum, and expects the same of enlisted members, Pierce and Kistler have had a passion for hand-to-hand combat beyond their basic requirements and their military service. They are level three and level two certified, respectively, and both practice ju jitsu.

Because they are certified beyond level one, and the Army combatives program allows higher-level certified members to train others in level one instruction, Pierce and Kistler wanted to share their passion and knowledge with others here.

"Everybody ... is a warrior at the end of the day," said Pierce, an Athens, Ga., native. "There are qualities that are inherent with warriors that are seen throughout martial arts and in the armed forces. (Teaching combatives) is something that gives people an outlet and an opportunity to do something that they might not otherwise get to do."

The Army level one combatives class also complements the "Check Six" program U.S. Air Forces Central Command force protection specialists have initiated. Check Six was developed to help reinforce daily responsibilities, promote vigilance and combat complacency, said Lt. Gen. David Goldfein, U.S. AFCENT commander. Vigilance and preparedness are required to combat the physical threats deployed Airmen may encounter.

Level one and two combatives instruction takes lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan and implements them to make Soldiers more tactically sound, Pierce said.

"With things like the AFCENT policy, if you have an active shooter, level one now allows people to (have) self-confidence, not just on the ground, but standing up ... to understand exactly how to react to a threat.

"We want to be able to give people the confidence and the ability, by the end of the course, to be able to have that willingness to close the distance with the enemy if they have to, or if they are already at that close distance, to be able to defend themselves properly and either incapacitate or subdue the enemy."

Pierce and Kistler plan to offer another basic combatives class in January