Posted on May 28, 2015
Why don't all members of the Air Force have to be fully qualified to be a rifleman in case of hostile events?
369K
4.45K
1.94K
565
565
0
I have noticed through the years of being in the Air Force (Security Forces member here) that most people in the Air Force are clueless when it comes to M-4/M-16/M-9. This is outrageous! What are they supposed to do if the enemy comes knocking on our door step and everyone needs to fight. I have taught classes on the M-4 with communication airmen and have seen them completely mess up clearing out the weapon, loading it (magazine upside down or rounds the wrong way), and just completely incapable of achieving a zero on target after four rounds of firing. I am a big fan of how the Army and Marines teach that your are always a rifleman first. It almost seems like some of the Airmen don't expect to carry a weapon (ummmm why did you join the military in the first place)? I wish the Air Force would pick up on this to make us a more combat ready force. But, enough of me what are your thoughts?
Rifleman
3P: Security Forces
Air Force
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 914
0
0
0
I was in the Air Force from Aug 67 to Sept 87. We were not trained for combat, in basic we had a one-day dry fire and the next day to qualify on the M16. We had to qualify once a year until 1972. Even when I was in Viet Nam we did not have access to M16's they were kept locked up in conex's. I was stationed at Tan Son Nhut AB we had the 82nd Airborne for security. I volunteered for Augmentee duty for more training on the M16/38/12 gauge shotgun. a week of shooting and classroom. It helped due to the 82nd being pulled out and Vietnamese taking their place.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
When I was in Iraq in 08 I trained several teams of AF Airmen and women to be convey escorts on the MRAP and not all of them were security personnel. The team's I trained were professional and could handle any situation that was presented to them. I WAS and still am proud of them.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Some AF units, particularly Aerial Port operations are weapons qualified and quasi-self-supporting (think, austere tactical air fields) ...In fact these groups are the FedX of the military... Ever wonder where the blood, beans and bullets come from??...Ultimately, It’s within these rapid logistics lines that wars are fought and often decided (and in a previous ‘political era’ actually won!!). When you POSITIVELY, ABSOLUTELY need an Abrams M1 tank, helicopter gunships, MRE’s, rockets or other ordinance ‘OVERNIGHT’ (or can’t figure out how ‘stuff’ SUDDENLY gets there...) think, Mobil Aerial Port Units, and worldwide mid-air refueling legs, aka, Air Mobility Command better known as ‘AMC’...
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
So, in the same train of thought, every SF member should know basic aircraft maintenance tasks. Hey park that humvee and come help me refuel this aircraft, after all you are in Air Force.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
I agree, airmen should be prepared to defend themselves. I had a scientist AFSC, assigned to labs and Air Staff...but I was also a competitive shooter. Damned if I would be caught unable to effectively return fire!
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
0
0
0
Back in the old days when I was in the Navy, on ships the Marine detachment would instruct Navy personnel on ship how to fire the ship's armory small arms on the fantail of the ship. A fifty gallon drum on a rope was dragged behind the ship. We got to fire a magazine of ammo from a pistol and a rifle at it. If you stood a watch on ship you had to know how fire a weapon.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
In SAC Everyone on base qualified with the M-16 yearly no matter what their job was S P’s qualified with all of our weapons twice a year but then again that was during the Cold War which was a totally different time
(0)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google