Kirtland Airmen stay on target

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melanie Holochwost
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Nine members of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron security escort team honed their marksmanship skills at the firing range Feb. 24 at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

The security escort team's mission here is to ensure Airmen get to and from their destinations safely when traveling off-base, said Tech. Sgt. Derrik Morris, 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of the security escort team, deployed from Kirtland Air Force Base.

"Our missions vary, depending on the travel requirements for different agencies, and can range from three to 18 hours in length," Morris said. "We can go from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions to distinguished visitor protection, ambulance escorts and passenger transport."

Whenever the security escort team isn't actively involved in a mission, they are training, Morris said.

"We train on close-quarter battle, hand-to-hand combat, proficiency firing and physical training," he said. "This time, we went to the range to improve our marksmanship skills."

The six hours of training covered a variety of skills and techniques, said Staff Sgt. Larry Sparks, 332nd ESFS combat arms instructor, deployed from Holloman AFB, N.M.

"In just six hours, we went through more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition," he said. "The day began with basic, short-distance drills. Then, we moved on to more advanced techniques, which included the nine-hole course of fire. This challenged the shooter to fire at the target from different positions, through different holes, and from the strong and weak hands."

Although defenders are only required to fire twice a year during weapons qualification, the security escort team practices marksmanship at least once a month, Morris said.

"Our marksmanship drills allow our members to become fully confident in their abilities to handle a weapon professionally," he said. "We shoot from a multitude of different platforms, which are designed to give shooters a scenario in a controlled environment that they may face in combat."

Morris said he is proud to be a defender and lead the security escort team here.

"The ability to protect our forces is the best job in the Air Force and I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to lead a group of Airmen who have a ton of motivation. It makes my job easy."