Photo By Master Sgt. Warren Wright | FORT DRUM, N.Y. – Soldiers from 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, New York – Approximately 200 Soldiers, civilians and Family members participated in a self-defense course hosted by the Fort Drum Medical Activity’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention team July 24-25.
The four separate hour and a half long courses were designed to teach participants the basics of reacting quickly and getting away from a would-be attacker, techniques which are useful in thwarting both physical and sexual assaults.
“Across the Army, SHARP training is moving toward more of a preventative training versus just response,” said Staff Sgt. Damon McKenzie, the Fort Drum MEDDAC victim advocate and the organizer of the event. “(SHARP) got really good at response, but we want to move towards showing Soldiers how to intervene and prevent a negative situation from happening.”
Instructing the course was Brickey O’Brien, a retired police officer and full-time martial arts instructor based in Watertown, N.Y., who volunteered to come to Fort Drum and teach self-defense as a way to give back.
“I really enjoy it,” O’Brien said. “Everybody’s having a good time as well and that’s what the main goal is – to have fun.”
During the course, participants learned how to respond to a would-be attacker by getting into a proper stance, use their voice to their advantage, strike at vulnerable body parts, kick an attacker away and break away from wrist grabs and choke holds.
After being instructed how to perform the moves correctly and a quick demonstration by O'Brien, the students then had the opportunity to practice what they’ve learned by striking specialized training pads provided by O'Brien.
Spc. Christopher Rivera, a supply specialist from 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), and a native of New York, found the training beneficial for those of all skill levels.
“It was really good,” Rivera said. “There was a lot of information (O’Brien) put out. You could teach this to anybody if they’re willing to learn.”
While training of this kind isn’t a regular occurrence, McKenzie hopes the strong turn out and positive feedback from the participants will help make self-defense training a regular thing on Fort Drum.
“Once everyone got into it and started to understand the concepts of what we’re trying to teach, they really got into it and enjoyed what they were doing,” said the Jacksonville, Fla. native. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from Soldiers who want the (self-defense class) to come back to the installation so they can continue on with this type of training.”
In the future “I’d like to do more classes at a smaller size so I’d be able to spend more time with people and give them more chances to learn more effectively,” added O’Brien.
While no additional classes are currently scheduled, the MEDDAC SHARP team has already begun working with other SHARP teams across Fort Drum to try and make self-defense classes a regular occurrence on the installation.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2018 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 286047 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Hometown: | TUPPER LAKE, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Strike First, Strike Hard: Medical Activity SHARP team organizes self-defense training for Fort Drum community, by MSG Warren Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT