Taser, Taser, Taser! Wolf Pack Defenders undergo training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
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.