Photo By Tech. Sgt. John Linzmeier | Senior Airman Jomari Salud, 154th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor,...... read more read more
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Airmen from the 154th Security Forces Squadron participated in a team-building and skills competition event held from July 20 until Aug. 4, at JBPH-H.
The multi-day competition, called The Defender Games, was staggered between operational working days, as the participants were activated to support the COVID-19 response in a joint unit, known as Task Force Reserve.
“The Defender Games, to me, is an exercise to bring the team together,” said Senior Airman Kenanthony Cabreros, a radio transmission operator for the 154 SFS. “Our police culture likes to do things that beat us up like going on rucksacks, live ammunition firing, and jujitsu combat. A lot of hands-on exercises. We turned this into a fun competition where we split up into different squads. The winner gets bragging rights until the next games.”
Day one starts off with an Elementary Excellence in Competition M9 Pistol Match held in the HIANG’s indoor shooting range. This is the first time the HIANG has ever hosted this nationally recognized shooting event. The range normally services active duty Air Force, Navy, and HIARNG that come to use the range for weapons qualification requirements for deployments.
“We’ve been planning this event for a long time,” said Tech Sgt Mose Matila, a Combat Arms Instructor for the 154th Security Forces Squadron. “We were finally able to get the right protocols in place to be able to host the match and run it at our unique facility.”
The 50 participants included members from Task Force Reserve and several members from the 154th Wing. They faced combat-oriented shooting events that required unique match rules, mixing things up from the usual Air Force pistol qualification course.
“The nerves were on edge for a lot of people during this competition,” said Matila. “This required the participants to use a competition marksmanship stance to compete at a different level.”
The top 10 percent of the competition is awarded a small bronze medal with the USAF logo and a pistol/rifle emblem.
Day two of the event entailed a jujitsu-style combatives competition and day three challenged the Airmen further with a five-phase obstacle course designed to test and strengthen the minds and bodies of defender Airmen. The last day of the games was held back at the shooting range with an Elementary Excellence in Competition M4 Rifle Match, which also met national standards like the previously held pistols competition.
In part, the games served to provided pressure relief for Airmen, as they have been activated to support local counties with pandemic support since April 15. While on orders, they have had limited access to seeing their families and have been confined to their place of work and the hotels where they’re living as a measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“That’s one of the hardest things, we’re all here on the island, but not allowed to see our families,” said Cabreros. “The ones who have deployed were used to it. It’s harder for the newer members, but we stay together, pick them up and pull them through.”
For Matila, the games brought some validation for the hard work they have put in.
“Being a combat arms instructor is a very rewarding job because you get to see some students begin with little confidence in the weapon, then they leave the class with a desire to learn more and improve their shooting,” he said. “I like that I get to inspire that interest. The EIC generated a lot of interest in the marksmanship program and sparked some interest in hosting another competition in the future.”
The Defender Games provided the Airmen with skill improvements through healthy competition, application and validation of their training, and a means to relieve stress from duty through comradery.
“I think it's especially because we go through these tough things together that really builds us,” said Cabreros. “They say that ‘iron sharpens iron’ and this is what the Defender Games does for us.”
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2020 16:30 |
| Story ID: | 386167 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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