MPs brush up on takedowns aboard USS Bonhomme Richard

Photo By Sgt. Joshua Young | Cpl. Christopher D. Bradford, 22, from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., with Military Police Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, is being detained during a mechanical advantage control holds exercise aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, Sept. 30. “If you know how far to tweak a certain area, what hurts the most, or what is going too far because you have experienced it personally, you’ll know better when you are doing it to someone else,” Bradford said. “It is necessary to experience it so that you don’t go overboard.”  

USS BONHOMME RICHARD, USAFRICOM, AT SEA

09.30.2011

Story by Lance Cpl. Joshua Young 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

USS BONHOMME RICHARD, At Sea – Marines with Military Police Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, practiced takedown techniques and control holds aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Sept. 30.

Military police refer to themselves as the security backbone of the Marine Corps, and use every available opportunity to train. They use mechanical advantage control holds to detain, control and secure suspects.

“[Mechanical advantage control holds] are used to detain an aggressive individual through joint manipulation and pain compliance,” said military policeman Cpl. Steven L. Mendez, 31, from Riverside, Calif. “It’s very helpful if you are at a size disadvantage.”

But not all suspects go quietly. Military police must be prepared for every situation, and make every attempt to bring down a suspect without causing unnecessary harm.

“It’s important to not injure someone so that we don’t put the wrong kind of message out there,” said Mendez, an MP who is strong enough that it took two of his his peers to bring him to the ground during the training. “We are not out there to beat people up or hurt them. We are out there to control a situation and ensure everyone gets out of there safely.”

The MPs practiced the moves repeatedly, and switched partners to take full advantage of the experience. This will help them remember the moves or holds when they need them most.

“It’s for muscle memory,” said military policeman Cpl. Christopher D. Bradford. “When stuff goes down you don’t have time to stop and think. You have to know how to do it, and it has to come naturally to you.”

As the security force of the Marine Corps, an MP’s job is to preserve order, protect property and enforce regulation. The training gives the MPs the skills and the confidence they need to do their job efficiently.

“If I didn’t have the training, I wouldn’t know what to do,” said Bradford, 22, from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. “I’d probably get mauled or something. But with the training I feel more confident, and I can defend myself a lot better.”

The MP Marines took advantage of training aboard ship during the week-long Exercise Dawn Blitz. Along with martial arts training and a live fire exercise, they also conducted helicopter embarking and debarking drills and trained with small-arms and tasers.

• Date Taken: 09.30.2011
• Date Posted: 10.02.2011 18:33
• Story ID: 77905
• Location: USS BONHOMME RICHARD, USAFRICOM, AT SEA