Pull the trigger: Training applies in different scenarios

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Robert Johnson
  • 570th Contingency Response Group Superintendent
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., --  Do you remember what you were thinking when you had to go qualify on the M-16 rifle?

The things that came to my mind were: I hoped I made it to class on time, I hoped the instruction part went quickly so we could get to the shooting part, I hoped I shot better than the security forces person beside me and I hoped that I shot expert.

When we finally got to go to the shooting range, I would try to remember the lessons taught to me during class: control my breathing, focus on getting a nice, tight pattern to sight in the rifle and make sure I rest my eyes in between shot sequences.

These thoughts would continually cycle through my thought process for the duration of my range time, but not once did I think to myself, "Why do I have to spend six to eight hours learning how to fire this weapon?"

So, why do we go and get trained on how to clean, maintain and fire the M-16? The simple answer is if we are called to a place where there are hostile forces, we must be ready to protect both ourselves and our wingmen in the heat of a battle.

Our actions need to be automatic so that when we look down the barrel of that rifle and focus on our sights, we are focused and prepared to kill the enemy. Our training can and will amount to a matter of life or death if your actions are not precise and instant.

Now, let's transition for a moment. Why is the Air Force asking me to learn how to perform this or any other task? If called upon, will I be ready to execute that action when the time comes? If you can answer yes to the above questions, then you have internalized and received the training in the way it was meant for you.

So, I ask you this: Why did the AF take a day to retrain us all on sexual assault? Is it because we don't know what unwanted touching is? Is it because we do not know what rape is? I would hazard a guess that most of us do and that we also know it is criminal to commit such acts.

The AF trained us in the hopes that if we ever saw one of our wingmen in harm' s way, we would "pull the trigger." We need to step up and stop the situation from progressing, possibly into a criminal act.

After the behavior or crime occurs, our commander' s have options such as non judicial punishment, administrative discharges, court-martial, etc., to punish the behavior. We do this in the hopes of ridding the behavior from our ranks while protecting the victim of the crime.

In this, we are efficient, fair and unwavering in our commitment to accountability. However, I would argue this is not why we had this training. Rather, we had this training because we need help preventing the crime before it happens.

Often, we do not want to make waves or be the one to tell on our friends or peers that their actions are inappropriate. We'll excuse our inaction by convincing ourselves "we really didn't know what was going to happen" or "they looked like they were having fun so I left them alone." This paradigm shift from stopping such behavior from occurring is where we as Airmen need help.

We can no longer afford to be bystanders. We can no longer afford to watch and hope nothing happens. In order for us to stamp this issue out of the AF, it will take the combined effort of all of us. We need to be proactive, not reactive. We need to protect America's sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters in arms. That is how we overcome this problem--together as an Air Force family.

So the next time you go to any training event, I challenge you to ask yourself what is the real reason the AF is training you and be ready to act if and when the time comes.