Spc. Raymond Quintanilla
305th MPAD, USD-S PAO
BASRA, Iraq – The high demands military members face, simultaneously fighting two wars, multiple tours abroad, and changes in mission, places an even more important emphasis on their combat readiness.
The physical fitness and mental readiness of a Soldier is of the essence in successfully carrying out missions, large or small, in theater or garrison.
There is a variety of platforms for conditioning the body and mind, ranging from aerobics, yoga, boxing, and even mixed martial arts. One form offered on Contingency Operating Base Basra is Modern Army Combatives (MAC), which incorporates techniques from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other forms of martial arts.
Sgt. 1st Class Carl Fryday, a native of Sterlington, La. and the fire support noncommissioned officer for the 1st Infantry Division and also a level four instructor explained the basic tenants of MAC. “The idea behind combatives is to teach how to engage the enemy, while your fellow Soldiers out-flank them,” Fryday said. “Take them down as a team and achieve numerical superiority.”
“If every Soldier is confident in closing the distance with the enemy,” Fryday said. “We’re going to be more successful, that’s the overall goal.”
Fryday said adding more striking into the training program emphasizes a combat focus, unlike preparing for a competition. “We try to train the warrior spirit into Soldiers,” Fryday said. “With the right kind of stress, Soldiers are forced to face their trepidations,”
“Through this, we can train courage.”
“It’s a confidence builder,” said Chief Warrant Officer David Hemingway, a native of Utica, N.Y. and the command and control systems integrator with Air Missile Defense,1st Inf. Div. and also a level two MAC instructor. “To give a junior Soldier the opportunity to face adversity and come beyond it,” Hemingway said. “It reflects back in their work environment.”
The goal of MAC is to provide realistic training and develop programs made available for different size units. It consists of four levels.
Level one covers basic fighting skills and is the pedestal of the upper three levels. Levels two through four are instructor courses, which in turn provides training from company levels to division, respectively.
Sgt. 1st Class Jeneen Saucedo, a native of San Bernardino, Calif. and the detainee operations NCO with the Provost Marshall Office, 1st Inf. Div. and also a certified MAC instructor said combatives augments her Soldier’s instinct.
“It gives me the opportunity to employ tactics that will help defend those under my care as an NCO,” Saucedo said. “It gives me a sense of being a Soldier first.”
The individual skills and other attributes gained from combatives also enhances the Soldiers abilities in their battle rhythm. “You see people change,” Fryday said. “They start developing a sense of personal wealth, which bleeds into their military occupational skills.”
While the work tempo can prove to be hectic at times, it is the responsibility for every Soldier to ensure their overall well-being meets or exceeds Army standards.
“We are Soldiers,” Fryday said. “Whether with combatives or not, find a way to enhance your capabilities, find a way to be that warrior.”
COB BASRA, Iraq – Sgt. 1st Class Carl Fryday, a native of Sterlington, La., and the fires support noncommissioned officer with 1st Infantry Division Headquarters, spars with Sgt. Justin Overton, a native of El Reno, Okla., and a targeting analyst with 1st Inf. Div. Sept. 4. Fryday instructs Modern Army Combatives on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6 p.m. in the post hospital gym. (Photo by Spc. Raymond T. Quintanilla)
