An officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas, fights off one of her instructors during Sexual Assualt Unarmed Self Defense Awareness and Prevention class, held at Forward Operating Base Warrior. Photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs

A group of petite female Soldiers laugh as their instructors, four much larger non-commissioned officers wince in pain from self-defense techniques they just taught these female Soldiers that could ultimately save their lives.

These Soldiers, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas, were the first to participate in a trail program that focuses on teaching the Soldiers self-defense so they can better defend themselves against an attacker, according to First Sgt. John Lucas, first sergeant of HHC, of the Ready First Combat Team.

This program is a proactive attempt by the leadership of the Ready First Combat Team to teach their Soldiers to protect themselves if attacked, when they are unarmed.

During the class a very curious crowd of male and female Soldiers gathered around to observe these females learning to immobilize their attacker so that they can have enough time to get away, the importance of preserving evidence and ways to prevent an attack from happening, according to Lucas.

The brigade’s sexual assault response coordinator had some advice for the Soldiers to prevent an attack.

“You must show confidence in yourself at all times,” said Sgt. 1st Class Gerald Meineke, the SARC. “Walk with your head high and you will not be looked at as a victim.”

The junior-enlisted Soldiers that participated in the program were also given a very lethal weapon that would scare off any attacker, according the Lucas.

This weapon was a flashlight and it is the new best friend of the Soldiers participating in the class.
With this the Soldiers can blind, hit and gather evidence, such as DNA or even identification, from their attacker.

Overall the instructors said they were very impressed with the Soldiers and that they were very quickly picking up on moves that gives them an advantage over an attacker that can be much larger than them.

The plan for this class is for it to be held more regularly and have it be mandatory for all females of the Ready First Combat Team, to show that sexual assault has no place at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq.

Until the classes are scheduled the instructors have urged their students to go out and teach other Soldiers what they had learned and to also practice the techniques often so they do not lose the skill.

DVIDS
Story by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs

Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe, Multi-National Corps-Iraq command sergeant major, talks to Spc. Heather Lemanski, an aviation specialist with Company E, 3-142 Assault Helicopter Battalion, N.Y. National Guard, during a trip to Forward Operating Base Delta May 15. Grippe took time out to recognize Lemanski for her actions months earlier when she was able to detain a fellow male Soldier who had planned to sexually assault her in the female shower trailer; the male Soldier was responsible for another attack on a woman in the area, according to the Army's Criminal Investigation Command. Photo by Sgt. Lindsey Bradford

Spc. Heather Lemanski, Company E, 3-142 Assault Helicopter Battalion, New York National Guard, had just returned from block leave when she was informed of a recent attack on a female Ugandan guard while in the shower.

Concerned for her safety, Lemanski’s husband suggested she carry a knife and pepper spray with her when she went to shower.

Taking his advice, the Fredonia, N.Y., native made it a point to have both items with her; a decision that may have possibly saved her life and earned her recognition from Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, during his battlefield circulation May 15.

Upon entering the shower, Lemanski heard someone come into the trailer after her.

“I didn’t hear another shower start, so I called out to see if anyone was in there,” she said. “No one answered.”

With a knife in one hand and a can of pepper spray in the other, Lemanski began checking each shower. Soon she found herself face-to-face with a male Soldier, dressed in his army combat uniform, crouched in another stall.

“I managed to restrain him, and I called out to a sergeant passing by to notify the [military police],” she said.

Once in custody, the Criminal Investigation Command interrogated the Soldier and discovered that he was responsible for other assaults, including the incident involving the female Ugandan guard, and had planned to overtake and assault Lemanski after she exited the shower.

“I did what I had to do, and didn’t think twice about it,” she said.

Captivated by her story of courage, Grippe made it a point to find Lemanski during his visit.
“When I heard her story, I knew that I had to meet this woman,” he explained. “She is a true American… and because of her situational awareness she was able to avoid a very dangerous situation.”

As Lemanski recalled the incident to Grippe and various Soldiers from the 41st Fires Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, shock spread across their faces and gasps were heard all around.

Grippe told the Soldiers that part of his intent during the trip was to make Soldiers aware of the dangerous they may face on a daily basis. With male-on-male sexual assault up 12 percent, he put emphasis on battle buddy teams and maintaining situational awareness at all times.

Lemanski’s encounter is just one example that could be used to highlight the importance of the Army combatives program, Grippe said.

“There is no reason to have blue-on-blue sexual assault,” Grippe said. “It needs to stop—bottom line up front.”

DVIDS
Story by Sgt. Lindsey Bradford