...and won! Ok, he LET me win, but it's a victory none the less! (this is where I need to send a special thanks to SFC Chris Lownes of the PA Army National Guard, for letting me choke him for a standup... Thank you!)
WHY was I "choking" one of Pennsylvania's finest? Well, it was all in the name of training.
Photojournalist Garth Millen and I spent some time with the Guard today, covering a training course in hand to hand combat. In fact, two of the top Combatives Instructors in the entire United States Army are part of the PA National Guard at Ft. Indiantown Gap. Two guys you definately do NOT want to get into a fight with.
The most impressive part? The young WOMEN holding their own against their male counterparts. I'm talking about women weighing no more than 105 pounds, wrestling with men twice their size.... and winning!
They say it's all in the technique... and I have to believe it. I couldn't get over the results I was witnessing. You really can over-power a stronger person if you know the right place to apply the heat. Could I come up with those moves in a high stress situation? I'm not sure... but for their sake, I hope they remember each and every one of them.
You may not realize it, but it's moves like this that allow our men and women overseas to defend themselves without lethal force. A good thing, when they are detaining terrorists with valuable information. Also a good thing, when confusion pits an innocent civilian in the middle of the action.
Not that we need it, but today I have yet another reason to be proud of Pennsylvania's National Guard. They really are in the businesses of defending life, not taking it. The proof is in their desire to learn a reaction to EVERY situation they find themselves in.
