Subscribe
Defenders assigned to the 21st Security Forces Squadron at Peterson Space Force Base earned the U.S. Army Air Assault badge, completing one of the military’s most demanding short-duration training courses and returning with skills that strengthen the squadron’s readiness in contested environments.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Elijah Martinez, Airman 1st Class Vincent Garcia, William Kim and Anthony Chaput, 21st SFS response force members, each completed the course, adding capability to a unit responsible for protecting critical space infrastructure and supporting joint operations worldwide.
For the 21st SFS, Air Assault qualifications provide more than prestige. The training builds precision, discipline and rapid-deployment skills that translate to real-world security operations. Graduates are trained to move personnel and equipment by helicopter, operate under stress and integrate with joint ground forces during contingency or austere environment operations.
Known informally as “the 10 toughest days in the Army,” Air Assault School originated with the 101st Airborne Division, where helicopter assault tactics were refined and combat-proven. The course certifies service members in aircraft safety, sling-load rigging and controlled rappelling from rotary-wing aircraft to insert personnel and equipment in complex terrain. Today, the badge is recognized across the joint force as a marker of tactical mobility and disciplined execution.
Before any of the members could attend the Army Air Assault School, all of them were assessed at their home station to ensure they were ready. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Esteban Goniwicha, a 21st SFS unit training instructor and Air Assault graduate, helped prepare candidates for the course. He previously served with the 435th Contingency Response Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where Air Assault qualification supported agile combat employment missions.
Rather than keep the skill set to himself, Goniwicha built a preparation pipeline at the 21st SFS. His mentorship has already produced additional graduates and contributed to other Defenders qualifying as Ravens.
“I didn’t want to be selfish, I wanted to see other people excel and get the same opportunities I had,” Goniwicha said.
Martinez’s path to Air Assault was not immediate. He showed resilience and determination after multiple setbacks prior to becoming a candidate of the Army Air Assault School.
“I failed my first assessment and wanted to try again, but then I deployed for six months and missed the next one,” said Martinez. “Fortunately, when I came back, I passed.”
For Martinez and the other candidates, the course demanded more than fitness, it demanded that the candidates excel in academics and have strong mental fortitude to adapt to personal barriers and the unexpected.
“I was scared of heights going in,” Garcia said. “I knew I’d have to rappel from a helicopter. I just had to shut my mind off and do it.”
During the 10-day Air Assault School, defender candidates studied academics, inspected equipment, conquered obstacle courses, rappelled from towers and helicopters, and performed sling-load operations, culminating in their Air Assault certifications.
“You want to be mentally prepared to fight, you want to be the person who says they’re going to accomplish a task and then actually gets it done,” Martinez said.
The Air Assault graduates now bring elevated mobility training, stress discipline and joint-force integration experience back into daily SFS operations — expanding the squadron’s ability to respond in austere or denied environments and strengthening Space Force posture alongside sister services.
| Date Taken: | 10.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.31.2025 14:12 |
| Story ID: | 550592 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 360 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 21st SFS defenders earn air assault badges, bolstering Space Force readiness, by SSgt Jaime Sanchez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
