Photo By Staff Sgt. Patricia McMurphy | Stones, some larger than softballs, pelted Army and Air Force law enforcement...... read more read more
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FORT LEWIS, Wash. - Stones, some larger than softballs, pelted the Army and Air Force law enforcement personnel hunkered down behind a man-made wall of riot shields on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016.
No, this wasn’t a terrorist attack or a prison riot, this was nonlethal police training and thanks to instructors like Sgt. 1st Class Steven Michael Ketchem, Jr., an instructor with 14th Military Police Brigade from the Inter-service Non-lethal Individual Weapons Instructor Course, out of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, everyone made it through the multiple volleys with little to no injuries.
“The rock [bombardment] teaches them that they can be confident that they will be safe with all their proper protective gear,” said Ketchem. “They have shin guards, shields, helmets and face shields and all their riot gear.”
The Fort Royal, Virginia, native is just one of five instructors whose sole mission is to train service men and women on how to be safe while utilizing several non-lethal means to control violent crowds, protect themselves from aggressors, and in some cases, subdue offenders.
Beside learning the proper use or riot gear, Ketchem and fellow instructors also trained the service members on communication skills, open-hand control techniques, proper deployment of nonlethal munition for the shotgun and M203 grenade launcher, the use of vehicle arresting devices more commonly known as spike strips, the proper striking locations for police batons, how to use oleoresin capsicum, and Ketchem’s favorite, Taser training.
“I love the Taser portion” said Ketchem. “It teaches that we are not out to just kill people and it teaches them not everything has to be lethal. That is a plus for us and the bad guys.”
Ketchem did not deny his enjoyment of Taser training. He liked every aspect of it and what could be learned by its use.
Service members not only learned how to employ the Taser to subdue aggressors, but felt what it was like to be on the receiving end of one.
“[It] felt like someone with electric gloves was punching you a thousand times,” said Sgt. Travis Olmeda, a military policeman with 595th MP Company, currently working at the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility.
Olmeda said nonlethal training was an important learning experience and he was glad to have a knowledgeable instructor to help him through the steps.
“Sgt. Ketchem is very animated and very knowledgeable,” said Olmeda. “You can tell that he is very experienced, he likes doing what he does and likes sharing knowledge.”
Ketchem is as motivated teaching at home as he is away according to Staff Sgt. Anthony Barth, a fellow instructor with the 14th MP Brigade.
"He is pretty crazy,” said Barth. On [situational training exercise] day at Fort Leonard Wood, we use paintball guns, and he has a fully automatic gun and will use probably around 2000 rounds for one mission. He just runs all over the place like a maniac. It’s pretty funny.”
Barth also added that Ketchem was probably one of the best noncommissioned officers he had ever worked with.
Ketchem initially joined the National Guard as an infantryman serving in Virginia and Maryland from 1994 until 2006. He then joined the Army in 2008 as a military policeman. He served as platoon leader, physical security, law enforcement certification instructor and drill instructor at Fort Leonard Wood before being selected for his current instructor job, a job that he said he absolutely loves.
“I have always wanted to be a police officer and love teaching soldiers,” said Ketchem. “My favorite part is taking the raw product and putting my stamp on them at the end and being able to say they are good to go.”
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.10.2016 22:51 |
| Story ID: | 188538 |
| Location: | FORT LEWIS, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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