Airman participates in Marine Corps Martial Arts Program

Photo By Master Sgt. Jennifer Redente | Airman 1st Class Joseph M. Cawood, left, executes the final phase of the counter to the round kick on Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua T. Scrivner, center, as Marine Staff Sgt. Jody G. Armentrout, behind, watches to ensure the Airman correctly accomplishes the maneuver. Armentrout, a Cedar Park, Texas, native, is Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge. Cawood is participating with Marines in the sustainment course for green belts during the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. In order to receive their green belts, they will train and practice more than 128 hours. Cawood, a Buxton, Maine, native, is an aerospace ground equipment technician for the 81st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, and Scrivner, a Midland, Texas, native, is a ground support equipment technician for the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464.  

CAMP LEMONNIER, DJIBOUTI

01.03.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente 

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Public Affairs

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti – An Airman deployed to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa received the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program green belt, Dec. 28, and is currently in sustainment training.

Airman 1st Class Joseph M. Cawood, 81st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron aerospace ground equipment technician, is participating with more than 30 Marines assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 to enhance their mental, character and physical disciplines with applications to encounter a wide-range of hostilities.

Cawood will train and sustain a total of 128.5 hours for the Marine Corps tan, grey and green belts.

"The Marine Corps has a great amount of camaraderie and team work," said Cawood. "There's no greater feeling than training for hand-to-hand combat with the toughest Marines around. I always look for a challenge, and to complete MCMAP, is another stepping stone in my great military career.

Cawood's techniques include a variety of arm- and wrist-twisting and sweeping, but the toughest part for him was the steps of a wrist locks.

"The hardest part was to remember and perform all of the wrist lock take-downs in the grey and green belt," said Cawood.

Service members deployed to Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, such as Cawood, work together with sister services, which give Airmen the opportunity to take advantage of the MCMAP class.

"I spent a great deal of time working with the Marines in HMH-464," Cawood said. "One particular day, two Marines noticed I was wearing a black belt, which is standard issue for the Air Force. They asked me if I wanted to earn a real belt by learning MCMAP, and I answered 'OORAH!' The next day, Nov. 22, I began the start of my advanced training in MCMAP."

Service members are required to train and sustain these techniques even while supporting missions such as CJTF-HOA while deployed.

"It is very normal to have classes while in a deployed environment," said Marine Staff Sgt. Jody G. Armentrout, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge and MCMAP sustainment instructor. "MCMAP gives service members something to look forward to on deployment besides working 12-15 hours a day."

While it's not unusual for Marines to train with other service members in MCMAP, it's not an everyday occurrence.

"This is a first for me to have a student from a sister service in one of my classes," said Armentrout. "However, I have been part of classes that have had other service members in the class before."

Marines in the sustainment training were impressed with how quick Cawood picked up the techniques.

"He is doing very well," said Armentrout, "He picked up on everything very quickly and is very eager to learn all that I could show him. I hope that he continues on with going outside of the box for any type of self-improvement. It makes for a great leader."

Cawood views this self-enhancing class as a way to improve himself as a service member.

"The core values that we as Airmen live by are: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do, gives troops a building block to step from in pursuing freedom for our fellow Americans," said Cawood. "It's a great honor serving for each and every American back home in the United States. MCMAP just gets me one step closer to being better on the battlefield."

Cawood and the Marines assigned to HMH-464 support CJTF-HOA's mission in preventing conflict, promoting regional stability and protecting coalition interest in order to prevail against extremism.

• Date Taken: 01.03.2008
• Date Posted: 01.03.2008 03:49
• Story ID: 15145
• Location: CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ