Sailor Steps Up as Volunteer Soccer Coach

By Army Staff Sgt. Carmen Steinbach

Joint Task Force Guantanamo

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, July 7, 2014 – Several service members here have taken to the soccer field to boost their fitness and relieve stress. Their new coach, a fellow member of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, has the skills to help the local female soccer team, Barcelona, to the next level.

Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Peter Bergum, with JTF Engineering, has coached his children’s soccer teams for many years back home. In fact, he has a U.S. soccer coaching certification, called an e-license, and coaches in Iowa. When word of his experience reached a Barcelona player, he was recruited to help bring them together and unite a team that includes both experienced and inexperienced players.

“They’re great. They’re fun,” Bergum said. “It’s fun to practice and see an improvement in the couple of games we’ve had together.”

Most recently, the team has been working on foot skills and run drills to improve passing, shooting and ball-handling.

“We’re trying to get everybody a little bit better, because we have all different experience levels on the team -- those that have played for years and years, and those that have never played before getting here,” Bergum said, “so that’s kind of a fun challenge.”

Army Sgt. Rebecca Rickrode, a soldier with the 420th Military Police Company who plays forward for Barcelona, brings a lot of experience to the table. She said training with those who have never played before has been an interesting challenge, but she has seen a vast improvement in the team as a whole since Bergum has come on board as coach.

“He is a very positive coach, and he’s very helpful,” she said. “He’s encouraging, but he also teaches us a lot of good techniques and helps out people who play at all different levels.”

While the female soccer league ends next week, the women of team Barcelona will never forget the skills they learned and the feeling of camaraderie they felt during the season, and for a brief moment enjoyed a positive distraction from being away from their loved ones.

“[Playing] just brings a little bit of home back to deployments,” Rickrode said. “You can do something that’s fun and not just do PT all the time.”

Total Force effort helps ensure mission effectiveness at McConnell

by Capt. Zach Anderson
931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs

7/7/2014 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- In the world of aircrew operations, it's essential that the men and women conducting the mission are able to perform when called upon. The job of ensuring aircrews are ready and effective at all times falls on the men and women of the McConnell Air Force Base Standard/Evaluation Office.

"Our mission is to validate aircrew mission effectiveness and readiness," said Lt. Col. Travis Clark, 931st Air Refueling Group Chief of Standard/Evaluation. "That is our basic tasking. We work directly for the commander and we feed that information back to him. He needs to know his troops can accomplish their assigned mission effectively and properly while maintaining the highest standards of mission readiness."

According to Clark, getting that information is done in a variety of manners, including annual evaluations of aircrew members that involve both testing for book knowledge as well as "check rides" to evaluate flying and operational skills.

"We look to see if they can get the job done, and if they can do it by the book," said Clark. "We also measure trends so if we notice a positive or a negative trend, we relay that information to the commander to give him a pulse on how his crews are doing. It's all about making sure our aircrews are meeting the set requirements when operating the jets."

When it comes to meeting those requirements, the same standards apply to active duty as well as reserve aircrews. For that reason, the Air Force Reserve 931 ARG and the active duty 22nd Air Refueling Wing have found it beneficial to work together as a Total Force team to maximize the capabilities of both standard/evaluation programs. The two offices co-located in December 2013, and Clark said the initiative is paying large dividends.

"The Total Force Initiative for our offices really helps us both," said Clark. "One of the biggest things we as reservists can provide for our active duty counterparts is continuity. The active duty is constantly changing personnel, and we are a bit more stable. With us being here, we help by maintaining vital program elements to ensure consistency. This in turn provides a more efficient 'spin up' time for new office personnel. In essence, they don't constantly have to reinvent the wheel."

Maj. Scot Stewart, 22 ARW Chief of Standard/Evaluation, said the Total Force effort is invaluable for the base program.

"It provides for better overall mission effectiveness for McConnell as a whole," said Stewart. "The whole point of standard/evaluation is to standardize processes and give the crew the tools they need to safely execute the mission. The more experience we have to draw from, the better we are able to accomplish that. By leveraging both the active duty and the reserve resources, we are able to make the entire operation better."

One of the largest Total Force Initiatives undertaken by the offices was the electronic flight bag program. The 931 ARG took the lead in transitioning required aircrew publications and regulations to electronic tablets, which means aircrew members no longer have to carry large volumes of publications in their flight bags.

"They have completely taken over that program," said Stewart. "They take care of it for us, and it's a huge thing they've taken off our plate. On top of that, they assist us with our flight crew information files, on setting up testing and computer systems...it's really been a beneficial partnership all around."

Clark said the entire idea of the Total Force Initiative between the two offices is to make the aircrews of both the reserve and active duty components better able to accomplish the mission of McConnell.

"This program works because we are both willing to help each other out in all aspects of standards and evaluations," said Clark. "We can provide experience and continuity, and the active duty can provide support and manpower as needed. We've really become so valuable to each other that if one of us were to pull out and no longer support the other, it would have an immediate detrimental impact to things here. What we are doing is definitely making the overall program better for the entire base."

Annual ANGRC picnic celebrate families

by Master Sgt. Marvin Preston
Air National Guard Readiness Center Public Affairs

7/7/2014 - ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Airmen and civilians assigned to the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, gathered with their families for the annual ANGRC picnic at Fort Hunt Park here July 3.

The event was hosted by Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael R. Taheri, commander of the ANGRC, and provides an opportunity to build morale, teamwork as well as recognize the sacrifices and contributions of ANG families to the Total Force mission.

"Having this opportunity to get everyone together here is spectacular," said Taheri. "This gives your families a chance to see the great people who drive the engine of the 105,400 Air National Guardsmen out there. Being in the field and coming back to Washington, D.C. I've gained an appreciation for all the hard work everyone does all year long to make the mission happen, for the Air Force and the Air National Guard."

Attendees of all ages enjoyed activities that included a sack race, kickball, softball, volleyball, and face painting.

Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Harmony Thomas, section chief of Knowledge Operations at the ANGRC and event organizer, echoed Taheri's thoughts on the importance of the day.

"The 4th of July is a time of remembrance and thanks to all those who created our freedoms," said Thomas. "There's no better way to celebrate that than to celebrate together with the people who are making that happen today."

Fort Hunt Park is located near the shores of the Potomac River and was originally part of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. The parks open fields and forests provided a great venue for ANGRC members and their families to get together for team building and morale events.

Alaska pilot reaches 1,000 F-22 flight hours

by Maj. Ashley Conner
477th Fighter Group Public Affairs

7/3/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Maj. Jonathan Gration, Reserve F-22 pilot assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron, is the fourth pilot to reach 1,000 flight hours in the F-22. He accomplished the feat during a sortie here July 3.

"This flight is not only a milestone for me, but for the Raptor community as well," said Gration. "It's a testament to how far we've come with this airplane."

Prior to joining Alaska's only Reserve unit Gration was an active duty F-15 and F-22 pilot and graduated from Weapon School, the Air Force's most advanced pilot training course.

"My proudest moment in the F-22 was graduating from the first class of the F-22 Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It was the most challenging and grueling six months of my flying career and also the most rewarding," he said.

In addition to Gration, the unit is also home to Col. David Piffarerio, 477th Fighter Group deputy commander, and the first 1,000-hour F-22 pilot.

"Having another 1,000-hour pilot in the Reserve speaks volumes to the level of experience we have in the Air Reserve Component," said Piffarerio. "We are a valuable, experienced asset able to carry out our nation's objectives."

Both pilots have been involved with the F-22 program for more than10 years and Gration has some advice for younger F-22 pilots.

"Enjoy every flight, because you never know what you will be doing in your next assignment," he said. "Also, treat each flight with the same tenacity as your first -- from mission preparation to the end of the debrief. There is always room for improvement, no matter how well the sortie went."

JS Kunisaki Arrives in Tacloban for Pacific Partnership 2014

From From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

TACLOBAN, Philippines (NNS) -- The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Kunisaki (LST 4003), carrying a multinational crew of U.S., Australian, Malaysian and Japanese personnel, arrived in Tacloban July 4 as part of Pacific Partnership 2014 (PP14).

The ship and its roughly 300 embarked personnel arrived nearly eight months after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the region.

Arriving on Independence Day, the U.S. personnel assigned to the mission had a special meal to commemorate the occasion before beginning a 10-day operation consisting of professional medical exchanges, including providing basic medical, dental, and optometry clinics; several professional medical knowledge exchange seminars; and veterinary surgical and vaccination services.

Seabees from Amphibious Construction Battalion One and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One have already begun working with members from the Armed Forces Philippines on four construction projects at three separate sites, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band will conduct several public performances.

Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Although the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led mission provides tangible assistance to the local community, by definition its intention and purpose is to better prepare for emergencies and disaster situations such as was experienced less than a year ago by the city of Tacloban during Typhoon Haiyan.

"I remember seeing the images of the devastation from the typhoon all over the news and now that I'm here and I see the scars left from that storm, it's a confirmation of why missions such as this are so important," said PP14 Mission Commander, U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Shipman.

"It was because we practice these things, because we have a presence in the region, and because of our cooperation with our friends and allies that we were able to coordinate and provide rapid, effective humanitarian assistance and disaster relief when it was needed," he added.

As personnel arrived ashore, Shipman pointed out how much the world had changed, as American service members disembarked from a Japanese landing craft a short distance from where U.S. General Douglas MacArthur made his historic return to the Philippines some 70 years ago.

At the invitation of host nations, PP14 teams working with local authorities determine how to best serve the communities they have been invited to, given the duration and resources available for the mission.

"It's obvious to see why we were invited to Tacloban given what they've been through. There is a lot of work to be done here, but many different organizations and nations are currently doing some great work," said U.S. Navy Lt. Ron Piramide, PP14 Philippine team officer in charge.

"I'm honored to be able to be part of something that is contributing to the overall work being done in the area and I look forward to seeing the great work our team will accomplish."

While training in simulated crisis-conditions, Pacific Partnership missions to date have provided real-world medical care to approximately 250,000 patients, veterinary services to more than 37,000 animals, accomplished more than 170 engineering projects, and enabled critical infrastructure development in Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

"Pacific Partnership forms bonds between nations and organizations who share a common interest in maintaining a stable and secure Pacific region," said PP14 Chief of Staff, Australian Army Lt. Col. John Cronin.

Kunisaki has already visited Vietnam and Cambodia, and the Republic of the Philippines is the last stop for this year's mission. The Southern portion of Pacific Partnership, conducted by Task Force Forager, an expeditionary command element from the Navy's 30th Naval Construction Regiment and led by Capt. Rod Moore, provided assistance to the host nations of Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

Pacific Partnership is in its ninth iteration and is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Asia-Pacific region.

USS Virginia Returns from Surge Deployment

From Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- Attack submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) returned home to Groton, Conn., July 3, after completing a 14-week surge deployment overseas.

Virginia's crew of more than 140 officers and enlisted personnel departed March 28 to conduct assigned theater security missions in the U.S. European Command region.

Cmdr. Steven Antcliff, Virginia's commanding officer, expressed pride in his team's performance.

"The surge deployment proved the professionalism and dedication of the crew and their families," said Antcliff. "Crew performance was outstanding."

Virginia deployed one month after completing a six-month deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility Feb. 13.

Vice Adm. Philip Davidson, the 6th Fleet commander, sent Virginia's crew a congratulatory message days before the submarine arrived home from the latest deployment.

"Well done to the officers and crew of USS Virginia," said Davidson. "Your presence unquestionably enhanced America's safety and security."

Davidson characterized the crew's ability to deploy for nine of the past 11 months as a "testament to the readiness and tenacity" of the submarine force.

As the first ship of the Navy's next-generation attack submarine class, Virginia is a highly capable undersea platform.

The submarine is equipped to conduct covert surveillance, attack land targets with Tomahawk cruise missiles, support Special Forces, and hunt other ships and submarines.

The 377-foot-long vessel is the Navy's 10th vessel and first attack submarine named for the nation's 10th state.

USS Howard Returns from Deployment

From Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The guided missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83) returned to Naval Base San Diego from a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean, July 3.

Deployed since Dec. 2, 2013, Howard's crew of nearly 300 Sailors is completing a successful deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations where the ship conducted exercises with the Republic of Korea navy, among other events.

The ship also conducted anti-submarine warfare missions and multiple theater security cooperation events including an April 11-14 port visit to Manila, Republic of the Philippines.

"Howard represented the nation in the 7th Fleet during exercises and operations while strengthening relationships with our allies and regional partners," said Cmdr. John Fay, Howard's commanding officer. "It's satisfying to think of the successes we enjoyed and great to return home to family and friends."

The ship also operated with the USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group and transited to Hawaii with international navies participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise later this summer.

Howard is named in honor of Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Jimmie E. Howard, a combat veteran of both Korea and Vietnam who was awarded the Medal of Honor, Silver Star and three Purple Hearts during his 27 years of service.

Alaska pilot reaches 1,000 F-22 flight hours

by Maj. Ashley Conner
477th Fighter Group Public Affairs

7/3/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Maj. Jonathan Gration, Reserve F-22 pilot assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron, is the fourth pilot to reach 1,000 flight hours in the F-22 during a sortie here July 3.

"This flight is not only a milestone for me, but for the Raptor community as well," said Gration. "It's a testament to how far we've come with this airplane."

Prior to joining Alaska's only Reserve unit Gration was an active duty F-15 and F-22 pilot and graduated from Weapon School, the Air Force's most advanced pilot training course.

"My proudest moment in the F-22 was graduating from the first class of the F-22 Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev. It was the most challenging and grueling six-months of my flying career and also the most rewarding," he said.

In addition to Gration, the unit is also home to Col. David Piffarerio, 477th Fighter Group deputy commander, and the first 1,000 hour F-22 pilot.

"Having another 1,000 hour pilot in the Reserve speaks volumes to the level of experience we have in the Air Reserve Component," said Piffarerio. "We are a valuable, experienced asset able to carry out our nation's objectives."

Both pilots have been involved with the F-22 program for over 10 years and Gration has some advice for younger F-22 pilots.

"Enjoy every flight, because you never know what you will be doing in your next assignment," he said. "Also, treat each flight with the same tenacity as your first -- from mission preparation to the end of the debrief. There is always room for improvement, no matter how well the sortie went."

Generating Airpower: The F-16's Firepower

by Senior Airman Derek VanHorn
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

7/3/2014 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- (This article is part of a series featuring the 35th Maintenance Group on their ability to generate airpower for the 35th Fighter Wing's Wild Weasels. The 35 MXG is compiled of 22 career fields that support the mission of the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, the only SEAD wing in Pacific Air Forces.)

The phones in Staff Sgt. Joshua Talbot's office ring often, but that's expected - he mans four of them every shift. But among the dozens of calls he receives every day, there's always one that's arguably more important than the rest.

It's the call that delivers the 35th Fighter Wing's flying schedule and triggers the process that turns Misawa's F-16 Fighting Falcons from demo airplanes into war-fighting machines.

"Once we find out what mission sets our pilots are flying, we immediately determine what munitions we need for the aircraft," said Talbot, a munitions controller with the 35th Maintenance Squadron.

Working at Munitions Control and with a virtual 360-degree view of flying operations, Talbot kicks off a complex process that ammo troops have mastered through countless sortie preparations. He calls a handful of shops that spring into action to prep Misawa's fleet of F-16s with a variety of potentially devastating munitions.

On the end of one of those first calls is Staff Sgt. Eduardo Hernandez, a crew chief with Precision Guided Munitions - a section made up of about 25 Airmen who specialize in missiles.

"As soon as we get notified, we start sending out missiles," Hernandez said.

His shop handles a variety of them, including AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, both designed to seek and destroy enemy radar-equipped systems, and AIM-9 Sidewinders -- supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missiles.

Hernandez said the first move is tasking a driver and a partner to ride shotgun to retrieve the missiles from their igloos - large, cellar-like storage units housing scores of ammo. Their overall collection is officially called the munitions storage area, but the ammo family simply calls it the "bomb dump."

It's a massive collection capable of inconceivable destruction, and one man -- Master Sgt. Michael Uncapher -- is charged with maintaining 100 percent accountability of the stockpile at all times.

"Every munition must be serviceable, properly configured, accounted for, meet weight requirements and be stored and maintained properly," said Uncapher, munitions accountable systems officer of the $257 million supply.

After picking up the necessary mission weapon sets scattered across ammo's expansive reign, each missile and trailer it's transported on is meticulously inspected to ensure serviceability.

A few buildings away from the PGM crew are the conventional maintenance troops executing the same laborious process simultaneously, all in the pursuit of airpower. These Airmen work mainly with munitions such as Mk 82 bombs, 20 mm Gatling gun munition and chaff and flare.

"It gets busy," Hernandez said, "but we're always prepared to execute for any mission requirement that comes our way."

For every call to action, there's hope they'll call for live munitions, allowing Airmen to load up the chance to see their hard work never return.

Hernandez said a fully-loaded combat F-16 carries almost 3,000 pounds of munitions. It's a bundle of bad news for adversaries, carefully giftwrapped by proud ammo troops.
"Our crews are committed to their jobs," Hernandez said. "We know what the end result of our hard work can produce."

That end result draws even closer as ammo troops - again directed by Talbot back at Munitions Control - traverse closer and closer to the flightline to deliver trailers of munitions to awaiting F-16s.

An expediter, usually a weapons troop, will take over once ammo Airmen pass off their munitions - a process regularly used for the many moving parts of a flying operation.

"Weapons, expediters, crew chiefs, the Aircraft Maintenance Units - we work with them all," said Uncapher. "We all rely on each other to make the mission happen."

After all weapons and munitions are delivered, it's a job well done ... for now. It is protocol to inspect every munition that returns to the flightline before it's returned to its igloo. That is, of course, if they make it back.

"Seeing a jet come back empty ... there's really nothing in this world you can compare that to," Hernandez said. "There's a sense of relief knowing the pilot was able to do his or her job because we held up our end."

'Flying's always been in the blood': F-16 pilot carries on family legacy

by Staff Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

7/3/2014 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Before he could walk or talk, before he knew or understood the breadth of his family's military service, Dustin Carey was drawn to airplanes.

Countless hours of his childhood were spent planted in front of a TV, raptly watching the winged machines defy gravity as they engaged in dogfights and historic aerial battles. Bombers, fighters, reconnaissance aircraft - the capabilities of each one kept him mesmerized.

"It's hard to say exactly what role aviation played in my childhood and my life because they were so completely intertwined," said Carey, now a captain and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter pilot with the 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan. "It's always been an interest of mine. When I was in first grade, we had an assignment where we had to answer, 'When I grow up, I want to be a ... .' I wrote pilot. I just knew."

Military service - and aviation - were in his blood. The path that led to Carey becoming a flyer in the U.S. Air Force is hardly surprising considering the extent to which these two passions are engrained in his ancestry on both sides of his family tree.

He is the fourth generation of Carey men to serve in America's military, although he is the first to join outside a period of mandatory wartime conscription, also known as the draft.

His father was also an Air Force F-16 pilot, serving from the Vietnam War through the early '90s. His grandfather was an Army B-17 Flying Fortress top turret gunner and flight engineer during World War II. His great-grandfather was an Army supply troop during World War I.

His mother also has her pilot's license; her father flew into his early 80s. Carey's maternal great-uncle, Lincoln Ellsworth, was the first man to make trans-Arctic and trans-Antarctic flights. Ellsworth was twice awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, once for those trailblazing flights and again for claiming 350,000 square miles of Antarctic land for the U.S., "the last unclaimed territory in the world" according to the award's citation.

So what is it like to be the latest in a line of men who each played a particular role in history and, in essence, carried on the family business?

"It's amazing to be able to carry on the legacy," said Carey. "I'm extremely lucky. My relationship with my dad was close before, but after becoming a pilot it took on a whole different meaning."

During the days of a young Dustin with his eyes glued to the TV screen, it became apparent to his parents the course his life might take.

"I have absolutely no idea what draws our family to flying, but it's amazing how it all just comes together," said retired Lt. Col. BJ Carey, the captain's father. "Before Dustin could even talk, he'd point at the sky and make sounds we were sure meant 'plane.' It was all just a part of his life from day one."

Captain Carey first soloed in a glider around age 15 and although the elder Carey thoroughly supported his son's interest in learning how to fly, he made sure his son knew it wasn't the only option available.

"When he chose aviation as the direction for his life, I sat him down and made that clear," said Mr. Carey. "I said, 'Listen up. If you want to do this, it's going to be for yourself, not for me or anybody else.' The most miserable people I've known were pilots who just didn't want to be in that lifestyle."

His son took that to heart and began Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Four years of hard work helped him earn a slot for undergraduate pilot training (UPT), which senior cadets compete for based on their officer potential, grade point average, Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, physical fitness test and Test of Basic Aviation Skills.

After UPT and a year of specialized training on the fighter/bomber track at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., it was time for assignment night. The much-anticipated result: then-2nd Lt. Carey, like his father before him, would fly the F-16.

"After earning my wings, my dad came up and shook my hand," said Captain Carey. "He said, 'Welcome to the club,' and that's what it really is: a community of pilots. I grew up in Colorado with his old flying buddies always coming around and I would sit and listen to them tell old stories. It's hard to understand that camaraderie from just seeing it; you have to live and experience it."

Now, he is living the lifestyle that he grew up admiring as a part of the 13th Fighter Squadron, the same unit his father was assigned to in the late '70s for training. Like his father, he plans to make a career out of flying for the Air Force.

"To be a part of the camaraderie that comes with being a pilot is everything I thought it would be and more," said Captain Carey. "Flying's always been in the blood, and to be able to do that while carrying on my family's heritage is awesome."

SFS Airmen complete Taser training

by Senior Airman David Owsianka
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

7/2/2014 - OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Two small, dart-like electrodes strike a person's body with 50,000 volts of electricity causing them to experience stimulation of their sensory and motor nerves resulting in strong, involuntary muscle contractions.

A group of six defenders experienced just that during a Taser training course June 27.

"Taser training is important because it teaches the user what needs to be considered in the event of its employment," said Staff Sgt. Andres Alvariza, 51st Security Forces Squadron training instructor. "We need to be sure the personnel arming up with the Taser are knowledgeable on the weapon, and understand the legal repercussions if the weapon is used in an improper way."

In order to carry the Taser X-26, defenders must go through a four-hour course that includes Taser International training, a written test and being able to effectively engage a target with a minimum of two Taser cartridges.

"Carrying the Taser helps provide our personnel an additional non-lethal option to use to gain compliance of a subject," Alvariza said.

Members must make sure the Taser's electrodes, which stay connected to the main unit by conductive wire as they are propelled by small compressed nitrogen charges - hit the target area.

"Airmen need to hit between a person's waste line and chest when firing the weapon," said Staff Sgt. Malcom Stephen, 51st SFS training instructor. "Having an 8 to 10 meter spread helps to fully incapacitate the person."

Once the defenders completed the training, they were given the option to be stunned by the Taser.

"Being struck by the Taser was like having a full body cramp," said Airman 1st Class Tyler Patterson, 51st SFS entry controller. "It cramped the muscles in my calf and lower back. I continued to feel a jittery effect from the weapon for an additional 10 minutes."

The training provided the Airmen with a more effective way of performing their duties.

"It allows us to maintain a better standoff distance and effectively apprehend or detain a person we need to control," Patterson said. "After going through the course and knowing how it feels, I know how to better implement the Taser. I know how long that person is going through the pain to apprehend a perpetrator."