By Sgt. Mike Alberts
25th Combat Aviation Brigade
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – Hundreds of spectators cheered and encouraged 54 grapplers and mixed-martial artists as they competed in the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's Modern Army Combatives Tournament at the Wheeler Army Airfield Physical Fitness Center, Wheeler Army Airfield, Jan. 14-15.
The event was the first of its kind in Hawaii and served to validate not only the 25th CAB's Modern Army Combative Program, but also the vision and commitment of a handful of CAB Soldiers who helped formalize the Brigade's MACP Academy last year.
Two of those Soldiers are Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wells, chief combatives instructor, Headquarters Support Company, 209th Aviation Support Battalion, 25th CAB, and Staff Sgt. Edward Duran, combatives instructor and non-commissioned officer-in-charge, Wheeler Physical Fitness Center, Headquarters Headquarters Company, 25th CAB. Wells' and Duran's passion for Army combatives is obvious, and it was that passion that propelled them to help establish a MACP within the 25th CAB.
"When we were in Iraq in 2006, I started squad level combatives and bumped it up to battalion level," said Wells. "After a while, we started training really any Soldiers that were interested. When we returned [from deployment] we started putting stuff together," he continued.
Combatives encompasses various hybrid martial arts that incorporate fighting techniques from conventional martial arts and combat sports. The MACP concept was created in the mid-1990s to teach modernized hand-to-hand combat to Soldiers and has since spread throughout the Army.
"Combatives was not something new to the CAB or to Col. Lundy," said Duran. "So once we presented the idea of formalizing combatives and expanding the current training to include a Modern Army Combatives Academy, we got total support from the Brigade," he said.
To date, the 25th CAB's MACP Academy has trained more than 150 Level 2 Certified Instructors and about 500 Level 1 Certified combatants in the last five months, according to Wells. Currently, Wells and Sgt. Nathan M. Williams, assistant chief instructor, 209th Aviation Support Battalion, 25th CAB, have the requisite Level 4 Certification required to stand-up an academy and host tournaments like the 25th CABs. In that regard, the recent tournament was a benchmark accomplishment for the program.
The tournament was open to Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve Soldiers and any other service members attached or assigned to Army units. It attracted Soldiers from units located at WAAF, Schofield Barracks, Ft. Shafter and Tripler Army Medical Center, among others. A total of 54 combatants competed in six weight classes during the two-day, double elimination tournament. Participants competed as part of a team in their individual weight classes and for individual recognition as well.
According to Duran, the objective of the competition was to motivate individual Soldiers to train and practice their warrior tasks and drills in hand-to-hand contact, and also to inspire units around Hawaii to support their Soldiers in the arena of combatives. For competitors, however, the tournament was simply an opportunity to have fun and test their ability.
Pvt. 2nd Kerra Bennett, signal support systems specialist, 82nd Engineer Support Company, 65th Engineer Battalion, 25th Inf. Div., was one of just a few females who competed. She refused to allow her gender to be a deterrent.
"I train and fight against men all the time, so I wasn't intimidated at all," said Bennett, who won one of her three matches. "I had a lot of fun and most enjoyed the support I got from my unit. I had a great experience."
Staff Sgt. Stephen Albanese, instructor, Non-Commissioned Officer Academy-Hawaii, Schofield Barracks, not only enjoyed himself, but also reflected on the intangibles of the competition.
"I think this is great for everyone," said Albanese, who placed first in the Lightweight Class. "It's a great workout, and builds cohesion among all the competitors," he said. "But the best part for me is the competitive spark that this tournament has brought out in everyone. We all fight hard, but afterwards you shake hands and realize that we're all part of the same team."