Standing Out From the Crowd

Photo By Sgt. Marcus Floyd | Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Farris, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Phantom Warrior Academy at Kieschnick Physical Fitness Center on Fort Hood, Texas, watches his Soldiers train in the tactical enclosure during physical training May 7, 2014, at the Kieschnick Physical Fitness Center. “The reason we have success is because of the level of training and commitment the Soldiers have here,” said Farris. “They know they are representing something bigger than themselves. When they step into the tactical enclosure, they are not only representing themselves but Fort Hood and the Army as a whole.”  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

07.01.2014

Story by Spc. Marcus Floyd 

7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT HOOD, Texas — In the Army, we all wear the same uniform, have similar haircuts, and sometimes, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of green.

That was the case for Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Farris, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Phantom Warrior Academy at Kieschnick Physical Fitness Center on Fort Hood, Texas, before combatives played a role in his life.

“I was just going to work every day doing my job and I didn’t have any special skill that made me different from all the rest of my peers, as soon as I got into combatives and learned to fight, that changed for me,” said Farris, who was one of the first Soldiers to get certified for level four combatives. “I went from someone who blended into the crowd to now, where I have something different from everyone else.”

Combatives not only changed Farris’ life, it gave him the opportunity to effectively improve the lives of many Soldiers.

Having served at Fort Hood for the past two years, Farris was brought to the Kieschnick Physical Fitness Center to help improve their understanding of the tactical side of combatives.

“Fort Hood really had the competition side down, they are the three time champions, they obviously had the sporting aspect of it down,” said Farris. “They brought me in specifically to work on the tactical aspect of the program. Our main goal is to increase the survivability of our Soldiers down range.”

The tactical side of combatives focuses on the skills an entry level Soldier would need when they are on the battlefield, specifically, how to fight with your rifle, knife and pistol.

However, before Farris became a subject matter expert on tactical combatives, he went through level one combatives before many people in the Army knew what combatives was.

“It was in 2005 when I went through the level one and level two courses and no one knew what it was,” said Farris. “It was something that was so new people were saying there was a wrestling class going on and they wanted to send some guys through it. I ended up volunteering for it because it sounded interesting.”

Now the NCOIC, Farris spends most of his time teaching others how to defend themselves.

“It’s a dream job,” said Farris. “It’s really rewarding to teach someone a skill that could possibly save their life on the battlefield and in life. You think of how many people come in and out of this gym, how many Soldiers you train, and if just one time he uses something in combat, out on the street or anywhere that helps him save his own life or someone else’s your job has been worthwhile.”

For Farris and his cadre, teaching combatives is about more than teaching people how to fight. With Army combatives Soldiers also gain the confidence to handle situations they may not be familiar with.

“They experience a situation they might not be able to handle if they haven’t been to our combatives courses,” said Spc. Aaron Raposa, an instructor at the Phantom Warrior Academy. “We have a lot of Soldiers who do level one and have never been punched in the face before. It doesn’t only build character, it gives a Soldier the confidence in themselves so they’re able to handle situations they’ve never been put in, as well as help their battle buddies who maybe have never attended a combatives class before.”

With the help of his cadre Farris has the ability to instill the same level of passion for combatives in many Soldiers.

“Anytime you have a group of guys that want to be doing something and they are passionate about it, you get really high quality instruction, and training,” said Farris. “Everybody is eager to learn and pass on their knowledge to other people.”

It’s the passion Farris finds, not only in his cadre but in his students, that inspires Farris to continue teaching and training Soldiers.

“I’m inspired by a bunch of different things, the young Soldiers that are coming here and are really excited they are finally getting to do what they thought they were going to be doing in the Army,” said Farris. “They want to shoot, fight and blow stuff up. It’s fun to have those guys come in here and put it all out on the line. They’re going at it, they’re having a great time and you see them grinning from ear to ear. I remember being like that when I first came in and how excited I was to be doing all these things in the Army.”

• Date Taken: 07.01.2014
• Date Posted: 07.02.2014 12:32
• Story ID: 135122
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US
• Hometown: SIKESTON, MO, US