Iron Training Detachment conducts Level II combatives training

Photo By Winifred Brown | Sgt. 1st Class Reag Wood grabs the arm of a Soldier acting noncompliant as they practice Level II combatives techniques in Bldg. A049 Sapper Road on Fort Bliss Oct. 18, 2016. The Soldiers are assigned to the Iron Training Detachment, 1st Armored Division.  

EL PASO, TEXAS, UNITED STATES

10.18.2016

Story by Winifred Brown  

Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office

By Wendy Brown
Fort Bliss Bugle Editor

In preparation for the practical exercises of their Level II combatives training, Soldiers assigned to the Iron Training Detachment, 1st Armored Division, carefully helped their instructors don protective blauer suits here Oct. 18.
They had good reason: In a matter of minutes the four trainees would have to force their instructors to the ground after a rigorous fight, and no one wanted anyone to get hurt.
“The people that we have as opposing forces, they’re not letting up on them at all,” said 1st Sgt. Ricardo Saspe, first sergeant, ITD, as he observed the training in full swing. “It’s very intense and it’s part of making the complete warrior.”
Soldiers assigned to the detachment teach Level I combatives, which focuses on the basics of gaining the dominant position in a one-on-one fight and subduing the enemy, and Level II, which reviews the basics, teaches how to clear a room, extract the enemy from a vehicle and more, said Sgt. 1st Class John Bullock, noncommission officer in charge of the ITD combatives program.
The practical exercises took place in a small, two-room building made out of plywood in back of Bldg. A0493 Sapper Road. Once the trainees entered the building, the Soldiers playing opposing forces would comply with the trainees’ orders to varying degrees – sometimes not complying at all.
Without exception, however, the trainees had to wrestle at least two of the opposing forces to the ground, and it was a battle that sent the building’s foam “furniture” flying in all directions. While the trainees managed to bring the opposing forces under control each time, it wasn’t without a fierce struggle. By the end, Sgts. 1st Class Reag Wood, ITD Pre-Ranger Course NCOIC, and Ryan Johnson, ITD Pre-Ranger Course instructor, trainees, sported superficial scrapes on their faces.
After the room clearing portion, the training continued in back of the building as the trainees learned how to extract a noncompliant enemy from a vehicle – out the driver’s side window if need be.
The four trainees said they learned a lot and would recommend the training to others.
“Number one it has made us a more cohesive unit,” Wood said. “I’ve been working with these three individuals more than a week now and it has paid off dividends as far as understanding what their weaknesses and strengths are and how we can adapt and make each other better.”
Johnson, meanwhile, said the training gave him more tools for takedown techniques.
“Also with noncompliant individuals, as a group, it definitely taught me different capabilities that my fellow Soldiers and teammates have and how they can do things,” Johnson said. “I think the biggest thing is communication, learning how to talk amongst each other in different scenarios and environments.”
Sgt. Victoria Lett, a medic assigned to the ITD, said she had only learned Level I combatives the week before and didn’t have a lot of experience with fighting, but the experience taught her how to keep improving.
“I definitely learned a lot of take-down techniques,” Lett said. “Whenever you apply your body armor and weapons, it changes the ballgame, so it taught me a lot of what I need to work on and improve on.”
Sgt. Noah Seui, a ITD Pre-Ranger Course instructor, said he did have experience with combatives before the class, but he still learned a lot.
“This is a great refresher,” Seui said, “and you still learn new things. You can go to (many) fighting schools and no matter where you go, you’ll learn something new that you can apply all over the place.”
The detachment also teaches a two-week-long battlefield combatives course, which covers tactical control points, escorting detainees, crowd control and more, Bullock said.
Fort the Level III master’s course, which authorizes Soldiers to teach Levels I and II, Soldiers must attend the class at Fort Benning, Georgia, Bullock said.
Although the combatives training program no longer operates out of Bldg. A0493 Sapper Road, ITD Soldiers can visit units for training, Bullock said.
Any Soldier can take the Levels I, II and III classes, Bullock said, and the detachment also offers self-defense training for civilians. For more information, call 741-3083.

• Date Taken: 10.18.2016
• Date Posted: 10.25.2016 15:42
• Story ID: 212887
• Location: EL PASO, TEXAS, US