Photo By Staff Sgt. Casey Hustin | First Lt. Zachary Bregovi (second from left) with the 97th Military Police Battalion,...... read more read more
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Victory Week 2017 will give “Big Red One” units a chance to fight for the Commander’s Cup with the combatives tournament scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 16-18 and at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 24 for the finals on at Long Fitness Center, Fort Riley, Kansas.
While some of the 1st Infantry Division combatives competitors have wrestling, jujitsu or boxing backgrounds, the training combatives encompasses can be vital to a service member’s survival.
“The most basic function as a Soldier is to close the distance and kill the enemy,” said 1st Lt. Zachary Bregovi, executive officer for the 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. “If the first time you’ve experienced something that intense is at that moment, you’d have a tendency to freeze up.”
Bregovi said increasing the frequency of combatives training within units would benefit service members in performing specific combat functions, especially those in law enforcement.
“In combatives you learn skills that make you an asset to a unit, as opposed to a liability, if you know how to defend yourself,” Bregovi said.
Combative skills are perishable unless they are practiced regularly, he said.
“Law enforcement should incorporate those techniques to improve effectiveness and survivability,” Bregovi said.
Some service members are glad to have the opportunity to be trained in combatives, including Spc. Treilon Parkmon, shower, laundry and clothing repair specialist with the 541st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade.
Parkmon was the Victory Week 2016 combatives tournament champion.
“Eventually, we might have to go to hand-to-hand combat,” Parkmon said. “Combatives prepares you more for that.”
Parkmon said he is glad to have taken combatives level-one training and looks forward to completing level two. He aspires to instruct combatives in the future, he said.
“Every fight we end up in is not going to be with a weapon in our hand,” Parkmon said.
The public is invited to come observe the Big Red One demonstrate their close-combat skills at Long Fitness Center for the Commander’s Cup challenge during Victory Week.
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2017 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 244229 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 183 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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