Photo By Staff Sgt. April Campbell | Staff Sgt. Nick Grady, an instructor at the 82nd Airborne Division Combatives and...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Care Bears normally incite visions of colorful, cuddly stuffed animals with hearts and rainbows on their bellies. Staff Sgt. Nick Grady, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, however, is a more vicious type of ‘Care Bear’ who rains blows down on his opponents’ bellies.
Nick ‘Care Bear’ Grady is a natural born warrior who enlisted in the Army in 2004 to serve as a motor transport operator. Today, the 30-year-old native of Del City, Okla., serves his country as an instructor with the 82nd Airborne Division’s Combatives and Advanced Tactics School.
Grady, who stands at 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighs 175 pounds, will compete in the 2013 Fort Bragg Army Combatives Championship Invitational at Ritz-Epps Physical Fitness Center and Sports USA, Dec. 12-14.
“I believe that as soldiers we are all Warriors,” Grady said. “I personally joined to protect my country. I think to protect your country you have to know how to fight.”
The paratrooper will compete with fighters representing units from across Fort Bragg and other Department of Defense installations in the Army-wide tournament. Some of his opponents will be coming from as far away as U.S. bases in Germany and Korea to compete. Fortunately for Grady, his cute nickname did not come about from his performance on the mat.
Why would a fighter name himself ‘Care Bear’?
Grady chose his cuddly moniker to stand out from the stereotypical fighter.
“I got my nickname when I was deployed out of Fort Drum, N.Y.,” Grady said. “A buddy and I were watching Ultimate Fighting Championship fights and we saw that all the fighters had tough names like ‘Pitbull’ and ‘Iceman’. So, we decided if we ever fought we would think of names that are funny, and he said I should be the ‘Care Bear’, so it stuck with me.”
Grady had the chance to start using his loveable call sign when he began fighting on the mat five years ago. He met a fellow soldier who was a Level 3 Basic Combatives Instructor preparing a team for a tournament.
“He got me to participate and I developed a feel for competing,” Grady said. “Shortly thereafter, I found myself fighting all the time. It became kind of therapeutic for me.”
Training and competing in combatives also helps Grady as a soldier.
“Combatives helps to build self confidence,” Grady said. “It also instills discipline, and allows a soldier to get out excess aggression in a positive way.”
Training for the Fight (physically and mentally):
When he is not instructing other soldiers on basic combatives techniques, Grady finds time to strengthen his own skills.
“I train for about two hours a day during lunch,” Grady said. “I get the best out of my training because I get to train with the other instructors, who I consider my brothers. Our training regiment is made up of intense Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, kickboxing, and wrestling.”
All that training contributes to Grady’s toolbox as a noncommissioned officer.
“As a leader in the Army, training gives you that physical edge over most,” Grady said. “At the same time, it gives a sense of respect among your Soldiers. They know that you have earned it.”
Grady feels that once he gets his nerves out of the way before a fight, he is confident that his skills will lead him to victory.
“It’s kind of like jumping out of a plane, you get the nerves, but once you’re knees are in the breeze it’s a different story. For me, everything changes once the bell sounds and I’m actually fighting,” said Grady.
The Tournament Ahead:
Going into the tournament, Grady credits the rapport of his unit as his motivation to win.
“Being an instructor here (with the 82nd Airborne Division) I want to do well to represent my unit,” Grady said. “It’s like we’re holding the tournament in our back yard. It’s a morale builder seeing your friends and comrades fighting and not wanting to let them down.”
Grady realizes that he might be facing some of his coworkers and companions in the competition, but he emphasized that he will not hold anything back once they step on the mat.
“It’s likely we’ll have to compete against each other,” Grady said. “It’s all high fives and fist bumps off the mat, but if you get on the mat, I’m going to treat you just like I treat everybody else.”
Of course, at the end of the competition, Grady expects the ‘Care Bear’ part of his personality to come out.
“When everything is over, we’ll go right back to being brothers again,” Grady said. “I’m going to pick them up, shake their hand and give them a hug. Hopefully they’ll do the same if they put me down.”
Why the Fight?
Grady stresses that the combatives program not only builds brotherhood, but allows a soldier to fight, not just with a weapon, but also with his or her bare hands.
“You can’t shoot everything all the time,” Grady said intensely. “I think that being prepared as a warrior should also include being prepared in hand-to-hand combat.”
For the ‘Care Bear’ the combatives program is an inherent part of being a soldier.
“I think that everyone should be involved in this type of program to help master their skill set of protecting our country,” Grady said. “It’s just like passing a physical fitness test, qualifying with our assigned weapons, and being mentally prepared to overcome any obstacle. If they have an American flag on their right shoulder, this should be something they do.”
“It exemplifies the true definition of a multifaceted warrior.”
#BraggCombatives
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2013 10:56 |
| Story ID: | 118121 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 494 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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