Pride in training: A security forces Airmen's perspective

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores, Portugal --  A call comes over the radio directing a Security Forces patrol to check on a disturbance in base housing. The blue lights switch is flipped and the patrol rushes to the address. On arrival, an individual comes out of the house yelling, "I'm going to kill you!" The Defenders move cautiously and as they move closer they make the determination that the individual is definitely intoxicated. He is belligerent and the Defenders begin to think of ways to apprehend him. Many different thoughts cross their minds all at once. Combative techniques will be used if the individual gets to close. Another option is drawing the baton to maintain the reactionary gap. The thought of the individual having a weapon crosses the Defenders' minds. In an instance use of force training kicks in and the individual is safely apprehended. 

A scenario like this can escalate quickly and it is up to the Defenders to employ quick thinking and action to control a situation that can get out of hand. A big part of that is in training. Every career field in the Air Force has aspects of training and Airmen get better at their job through practice and repetition.

Aristotle said, "Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

Defenders at Lajes do not see the same amount of repetition of standard operations, like traffic stops at larger bases. This is what makes Tech. Sgt. Chance Farmer's, 65th Security Forces Squadron, noncommissioned officer in charge of training, job so important. He gives these Defenders a chance to practice and repeat the skills they need to stay ready to do their job.

"Since we don't have a lot of the repetition here with real world scenarios, giving our guys that muscle memory in training is crucial," Farmer said.

Farmer is responsible for the training of all the Security Forces members at Lajes Field.

"I am in charge of coming up with our training schedule for the year, of what our Defenders need to be trained on," Farmer said. "We do everything from patrol stops to use of force training and escalation of force training."

Farmer's students have a variety of experience levels, but everyone finds the training useful.

"With Lajes being my first base and being a young A1C, I am basically a sponge that consumes the knowledge and experience others have had in their career," said Airman 1st Class Keith Oshea, 65th SFS patrolman. 

Training is not something new to Farmer. During a year-long deployment as part of the Iraqi Police Transitional Team in 2009, Farmer provided basic policing techniques within the community to Iraqi Police outside the wire. After that he was selected to go to the regional training center at Eglin Air Force Base. He also served on a Joint Drug Enforcement team with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations which gave him another opportunity to share what he has learned with fellow Defenders.

Farmer believes that it is better for the Defenders he trains to get their feet wet in a training scenario rather than in a real-world, high-risk scenario.

"The training that Tech. Sgt. Farmer provides is beneficial in many ways," Oshea said. "Through numerous training days, everything he has taught has applied to real life and will allow us to know what to do when the situation arises. Everything that Tech. Sgt. Farmer has taught us could apply to many circumstances. For example, if you are responding to a domestic's case and the individual comes out blazing and uncooperative; you need to be able to know what to do in a split second."

Training starts in a classroom setting to get the students ready and familiar with what they are training on. After the classroom instruction and once the students feel comfortable, Farmer takes them to do the hands-on training, whether that is a routine traffic stop or combative techniques at the gym. He also makes sure to train them in as many different situations as possible. For example, he will start them off with a routine traffic stop with no problems and then take it the next level with a traffic stop which turns into a high-risk situation.  

Just like with any job, training is important to keep individuals good at their jobs. Without training, a person's job and career will suffer.
While instructors teach for different reasons, Farmer gets satisfaction when a student understands what he is teaching.

"I would say the best thing about being an instructor is seeing that lightbulb click with somebody," Farmer said. "Where they are receiving the information and when they are actually doing it and putting it together; how they are getting it and just to see that pride that comes out whenever they get it right."