SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- -- Thousands of service members are deployed around the globe on any given day, patrolling their area of responsibility to find and destroy enemies of the United States. Armed with various types of weaponry, these troops must be proficiently trained in combat marksmanship to ensure the protection of themselves and their wingmen.
Tasked with training Team Shaw, the 20th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructors spend their days teaching weapons knowledge, marksmanship and shooting techniques to service members.
“This job is very important,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Mufford, 20th SFS combat arms instructor. “Without it, the Air Force would not be able to carry the mission out overseas, as well as stateside, because people would not be able to deploy without their weapons qualification.”
In 2015, more than 4,000 service members came to the range to qualify on various types of weapons such as the M4 carbine and the M9 pistol. But before they can take up arms, students have to learn the ins and outs of each weapon.
Ensuring a student is aware of how the weapons works, its assembly and dis-assembly are very important, said Mufford. Fire fights are extremely loud and stressful, and when someone has a gun jam in the middle of one, they have to be able to relax, calm down, and fix the problem.
The instructors are not only responsible for the students, but also the maintenance of more than 4,000 weapons that are used to secure Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.
Due to the location and nature of several military installations across the globe, service members must qualify on particular weaponry before deploying or leaving their base permanently to ensure they are combat ready.
“When people come through here we are usually one of the last faces they see before they PCS or deploy,” said Staff Sgt. David Ward, 20th SFS combat arms instructor. “So we try to build a memory when they are over here and if they have to use their weapon they can look back and they’re like ‘oh yeah, Sergeant Ward or one of my other instructors taught me well.’”
Ensuring Team Shaw members are ready at a moment’s notice to meet any challenge, anytime, anywhere is no easy task, but it is one the instructors take in full stride so that when the time comes, service members are awaiting the challenge.
“The last thing going through my mind when I release my students at the end of the day is that I pray and hope they keep the knowledge they learned,” said Ward. “In case they actually do get into a combat situation and that they are able to apply it effectively, save themselves, or save someone else’s life.”
After students spend approximately three hours in a class room setting and then three more hours on the range, service members clean their rifles and prepare to leave for the day. Not knowing what the students have ahead of them, the instructors always confirm that the students feel confident in their abilities.
“It’s a long day and we always check on the students to make sure nobody has any questions, and to make sure that no matter what, when they go down range they know exactly what they need to do,” said Mufford.
In 2015, approximately 420,000 rounds were shot on the range, giving students the ability to hone their warrior ethos, and thanks to the instructors on the range, no service member will leave Shaw ill-prepared for a gun fight.