Security forces take down lone gunman

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarrod Grammel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Security forces charge through the door as gunshots ring out. Hostages frantically run toward the door and away from the gunman wielding an AK47.

This was the scene at the Freedom I Fitness Center June 24 during an exercise which tested Moody first responders' ability to deal with an inside threat.

"An active shooter is an individual who has some sort of psychological impairment and feels they have to make a statement by injuring people," said Staff Sgt. Dustin Drake, 23rd Security Forces Squadron unit deployment manager.

The exercise is an annual requirement for the wing and involves numerous squadrons and agencies, including the fire department and 23rd Medical Group.

"It is the most likely threat to a military installation," said Master Sgt. Steven Byer, 23rd SFS NCO in-charge of standards and evaluations. "We have to take the threat seriously.

"With this exercise we hope to evaluate the first response capabilities of Moody," he added. "We constantly train in the tactics, but this exercise puts a realistic spin on the situation, because there is real gunfire and real victims."

Sergeant Drake went to active shooter training in San Antonio and acted as an observer to critique security forces' response.

"I feel confident in our ability to respond to this threat, but if you don't do all the training and practice realistic scenarios like this it becomes a perishable skill," he said. "This training is a must for all security forces."

An active shooter incident can happen at any time in any place, and everyone should know how to react.

"It is important that everyone know what to do in the case of a real active shooter incident," said Sergeant Byer. "The threat is real and everyone should know how to respond and survive. The real goal is to prevent this kind of incident before it happens. That is why we focus on the identifiers and try to educate people on the signs."

Security forces Airmen are among the most highly trained in the world. They constantly train and work long hours to hone their skills.

By offering realistic training like this, Moody first responders got a chance to practice and evaluate their ability to prevent another tragedy like the one at Fort Hood, Texas, where an gunman killed and wounded dozens of Soldiers and civilians.