Living up to their squadron's middle name

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Xavier Navarro
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Members of the 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron are being trained in hand-to-hand combat with the help of the 319th Security Forces Squadron combative trainers.

The objective of the training is to teach unarmed combat skills. Lessons are offered once a month for LRS and can last up to six hours.

Tech. Sgt. Joshua Eisenman, 319th LRS unit deployment manager, believes his squadron is ready to confidently meet challenges, or the enemy, head-on and win.

"During each class the instructor can teach ten students," said Eisenman. "Since the beginning of training 86 members have attended the course."

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Hogg, 319th Security Forces Squadron NCO-in-charge of SF Training, spoke about how their combative program prepares Airmen to be ready when an adversary confronts them and above all gives them the confidence to meet the threat.

"The most challenging part of teaching others is meeting the needs of individual students because each person prefers a different style of learning so we as trainers have to find ways to incorporate auditory, visual and hands-on training," said Hogg. "In the future I can see this program growing not only here at Grand Forks Air Force Base, but in the Air Force as well."

Senior Airman Marcelo Alvarez Salgado, 319th LRS inventory apprentice, values the training that SFS provides them.

"I really liked the training, it was fun and at the same time educational," said Alvarez Salgado. "We are now better prepared for any combat-related situation that may come up here or in a deployed location."

Other programs that the 319th LRS has implemented during their readiness training days are critical life-saving skills and Operation Iron Viking. 

The idea to hold combative training came about in 2015 when the 319th LRS Commander, Maj. Eric Quidley, tasked members to come up with ideas of how to instill a warrior ethos within the squadron.

"I do believe that the combative training members receive from SFS helps," said Eisenman. "The training gives students a solid foundation for self-defense and postures our members to live up to our squadrons middle name, 'readiness'."