2nd annual Aces Cop Combat Challenge

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Shouts of encouragement, angst and frustration resonate in the air.

Surrounded by their supervisors, peers and commanders, their arms trembled as sweat drips off their forehead.

It's 8 a.m. and for nearly 100 members of Malmstrom's 341st Security Forces Group, their uniforms are already saturated with mud.

It wasn't a normal day for a defender who's usually posted out in the Malmstom Air Force Base missile complex; it was the 2nd Annual Aces Cop Combat Challenge. Held at the Warrior Launch Facility and Powwow Pond on June 7, the event was spearheaded by Master Sgt. Francisco Santiago and Tech. Sgt. Shane Mellish, both 341st Security Forces Squadron members.

"We began planning in early January with coordination across the wing," Mellish said.
"Six agencies outside of the security forces group assisted, which took commitment on both ends. Thanks to more than 300 personnel including cadre and the competitors, the day turned out extremely successful."

Twenty-six different stations spread out across Powwow Park and the Warrior Launch Facility, which tested the competitors' intellect, teamwork and physical fitness.

Of the 25 stations, some tested the competitors' physical strength, such as team pain, where they were required to complete five staggered push-ups in a puddle of mud, flip a tire four times and repeat for 15 minutes. Other physical-dependent stations included a fireman carry and a half-mile ruck run.

Other stations required all four members of a team to communicate in order to accomplish the task and earn the maximum points, such as patrol orientation, which had competitors low-crawling to a target as they wore blinded gas masks.

Stations such as chemical warfare ensemble and box of guns tested competitors' mental and career-specific knowledge, as they assembled M-4s, memorized various items and estimated distances.

"I've only been here since December, so I thought this was a great chance for me to compete against fellow security forces Airmen, test my knowledge and have fun at the same time," said Airman 1st Class Darias Faaita, 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron member.

Each of Malmstrom's security forces squadrons had at least three teams participating, including an additional team from the Montana Air National Guard. The eventual team to earn the most points with a total of 207.5 was team number 1 - Staff Sgts. Dustin Taylor and Adam Neal, Senior Airman Matthew Dubon and Airman 1st Class Michael Fenex, all 341st SFG tactical response force members.

"Although the team that won was team number 1, the 341st SFS took the traveling trophy away, as they earned the most points on average than any other squadron," Mellish said.

Home to the largest security forces group in the U.S. Air Force, the success of the event was only made possible due volunteers, spectators and most importantly, the competitors.

"We wanted to put this on because it builds morale and fosters camaraderie within the security forces group," Mellish said.