WEBVTT 00:03.369 --> 00:07.320 Sorry . The Lacerda Cup and combatants 00:07.320 --> 00:10.149 in general fits into their priorities 00:10.369 --> 00:13.689 by building and creating combat ready 00:13.689 --> 00:17.629 soldiers . So being able to go deploy 00:17.770 --> 00:20.090 at any scale , at any level , and being 00:20.090 --> 00:22.969 able to be technical and tactical at 00:22.969 --> 00:24.790 the same time when it comes to 00:24.930 --> 00:27.440 implementing these hand to hand . Uh , 00:27.520 --> 00:29.409 combat fighting techniques and or 00:29.409 --> 00:31.479 ground skills . Combativeness makes 00:31.479 --> 00:33.646 better warfighters because downrange , 00:33.646 --> 00:35.479 you might find yourself in close 00:35.479 --> 00:37.257 quarters combat and having this 00:37.257 --> 00:39.201 additional skill set increases our 00:39.201 --> 00:41.312 overall lethality . And if all of our 00:41.312 --> 00:43.535 troops are able to do that , then we're 00:43.535 --> 00:43.509 more combat-ready . Success in 00:43.509 --> 00:45.676 combative means that you're showing up 00:45.676 --> 00:47.565 every day , regardless of if it's 00:47.565 --> 00:49.231 practice or an actual match , 00:49.231 --> 00:51.565 regardless of the outcome , win or lose , 00:51.565 --> 00:53.787 you keep coming back and giving it your 00:53.787 --> 00:55.953 all for yourself and for your team and 00:57.299 --> 00:59.466 How I measure success in this , end of 00:59.466 --> 01:01.688 the day , we all wanna win , you know , 01:01.688 --> 01:03.855 we want to take first to represent the 01:03.855 --> 01:06.021 Army Reserves as a whole , but I would 01:06.021 --> 01:08.188 say in the end , it's , it's all about 01:08.188 --> 01:10.099 the team . I think it's a great 01:10.099 --> 01:12.321 experience , you know , it offers a , a 01:12.321 --> 01:15.250 self-individual challenge and it can 01:15.250 --> 01:17.510 create better leadership for all . Uh , 01:17.589 --> 01:19.756 honestly , it means everything . Being 01:19.756 --> 01:21.700 in a part of this Lucerna Cup is a 01:21.700 --> 01:23.922 great opportunity for myself to see how 01:23.922 --> 01:26.033 my skills do against some of my peers 01:26.033 --> 01:28.033 in the ranks . And also for me as a 01:28.033 --> 01:30.089 person , I'm on the kind of the back 01:30.089 --> 01:32.145 end of my career and it's nice to be 01:32.145 --> 01:32.069 able to go out and push myself against 01:32.069 --> 01:34.291 some of these younger soldiers and also 01:34.291 --> 01:36.513 being able to use some of the combative 01:36.513 --> 01:36.190 skills I learned throughout my time in 01:36.190 --> 01:39.400 the army in a competition setting . For 01:39.400 --> 01:41.567 the soldiers themselves , it increases 01:41.567 --> 01:43.289 their own lethality as well as 01:43.289 --> 01:45.511 survivability . Sometimes at war , if a 01:45.511 --> 01:47.622 primary weapon is ever lost , they're 01:47.622 --> 01:47.239 going to have the capabilities to go 01:47.239 --> 01:49.350 hands on and stand ready for whatever 01:49.350 --> 01:51.295 comes through the door . It's been 01:51.295 --> 01:53.461 quite some time since I've been in the 01:53.461 --> 01:55.628 competition aspect , but it's a chance 01:55.628 --> 01:55.360 for me to prove myself that I still 01:55.360 --> 01:57.582 have the strengths that I had years ago 01:57.582 --> 01:59.527 and that I can still grow stronger 01:59.527 --> 02:01.930 still . I think it maintains and 02:01.930 --> 02:03.986 improves combat readiness and day to 02:03.986 --> 02:06.208 day readiness for an individual soldier 02:06.208 --> 02:08.486 to be able to be ready for a situation , 02:08.486 --> 02:10.770 whether they be downrange or taking a 02:10.770 --> 02:12.548 trip to Walmart . So just being 02:12.548 --> 02:14.770 comfortable with being uncomfortable in 02:14.770 --> 02:16.881 any given scenario . Combatants helps 02:16.881 --> 02:19.048 train better soldiers , and this is in 02:19.169 --> 02:21.280 line with the priorities of the Chief 02:21.280 --> 02:23.502 of the Army Reserve . The soldiers will 02:23.502 --> 02:25.725 become more prepared to face enemies on 02:25.725 --> 02:28.369 the battlefield . And there will be 02:28.419 --> 02:30.641 situations where we need to handle them 02:30.641 --> 02:32.752 in an unarmed manner . So this is why 02:32.752 --> 02:35.029 combatants is very important for the 02:35.029 --> 02:36.918 United States Army and the United 02:36.918 --> 02:39.085 States Army Reserve . So participating 02:39.085 --> 02:41.029 in the Lacerda Cup or the All Army 02:41.029 --> 02:43.251 combatants Program as a coach is , uh , 02:43.251 --> 02:45.418 to me , a big deal . Uh , I , I , I've 02:45.418 --> 02:47.640 started , uh , in the combatives , uh , 02:47.640 --> 02:49.529 program , as a level one or basic 02:49.529 --> 02:52.130 combatants , uh , back in 2010 as a 02:52.270 --> 02:55.300 Specialist Deon . Uh , and , you know , 02:55.410 --> 02:57.529 15 years later as a master combatants 02:57.529 --> 02:59.585 trainer , uh , representing the Army 02:59.585 --> 03:01.860 Reserve , and , uh , training them up 03:01.860 --> 03:03.971 and coaching them , a big deal for me 03:03.971 --> 03:06.027 because when we get to represent the 03:06.027 --> 03:08.082 Army Reserve , we get to show that , 03:08.082 --> 03:10.304 you know , we too can , you know , uh , 03:10.304 --> 03:12.527 we can do combative just as good as the 03:12.527 --> 03:14.638 compo one and the , uh , the compo uh 03:14.638 --> 03:18.570 two National Guard guys . Sorry .