News>Taser, Taser, Taser! Wolf Pack Defenders undergo training
Photos
Senior Airman Thomas Brockman, 8th Security Forces Squadron member, feels the after effects of Taser during training at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 4, 2012. Brockman participated in the voluntary exposure, which lasted roughly five seconds, in order to become familiar with the capability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas)
Col. Stephen C. Williams, 8th Fighter Wing vice commander, is held by 8th Security Forces Squadron members as he is stunned with a Taser on Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 4, 2012. Electrodes from a Taser were attached to his back, and for five seconds he was exposed to its debilitating effects. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas)
Airman 1st Class Johnie Graddy, 8th Security Forces Squadron member, gets stunned by a Taser gun during a training class at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 4, 2012. Security Forces members are shot with a Taser to get firsthand experience of the pain they might have to inflict in the course of their duties. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas)
Staff Sgt. Jermaine Morrow, 8th Security Forces Squadron response force leader, instructs a Taser training class at Kunsan Air Force Base, Republic of Korea, April 4, 2012. Tasers are useful tools to have for security forces personnel because of the nonlethal capability they provide. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas)
by Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
4/13/2012 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Screams drowned the sound of laughter echoing in the halls of the 8th Security Forces Squadron training center April 4 during Taser training for Kunsan Air Base defenders.
The training provided firsthand experience with a stun gun and its incapacitating effect on the body through the use of electrical currents.
"Getting tasered feels like your entire body is about to explode," said Staff Sgt. Jermaine Morrow, 8th Security Forces Squadron force response leader. "Incapacitating a hostile individual in an effective manner without causing any long-term damage is what makes the Taser an effective tool."
The training includes classroom instruction, Taser familiarization, voluntary exposure and scenario-based exercises.
The voluntary exposure required each student to allow instructors to apply thin copper wires from the Taser gun to their body. Fifty thousand volts of electricity were then sent through each individual for five seconds. Due to the temporary paralyzing effects on the body, participants were supported on each side as other security forces members helped lower them to the ground after the shock.
One of Kunsan's top leaders took the chance to see what it was like.
"Tasers are a great nonlethal tool for our Defenders to have in their arsenal," said Col. Stephen C. Williams, 8th Fighter Wing vice commander. "Being tasered is now off my bucket list."
The benefit of training with nonlethal weapons, such as the Taser, gives security forces members the ability to de-escalate a situation without using deadly force, saving even more lives in the line of duty.
Taser guns have been used worldwide by Air Force security forces members for almost 10 years now.
