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Malmstrom Combat Arms Training and Maintenance staff burn the midnight oil

By Airman 1st Class Dillon White, 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office / Published August 15, 2007

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MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The Combat Arms Training and Maintenance staff members are currently working around the clock to instill proper weapons handling and safety to the entire 819th RED HORSE Squadron and other 341st Space Wing personnel that are training or expecting to deploy. 

To meet the requirements of training all these Airmen, CATM has started a split-shift approach. The day shift is 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the night shift is 3 p.m. to midnight. 

"We recently implemented the 90-day spin-up training, so any individual deploying must qualify on the weapons required to deploy within 90 days of their deployment," said Tech. Sgt. Richard Paternoster NCOIC of combat arms. "We'll stay on split shifts until the spin-up cycle is over." 

The spin-up cycle is scheduled to complete at the end of August and CATM staff will return to day shifts. 

Sergeant Paternoster has been training combat arms since 1999 and notes that safety is key. The students learn how to safely determine if the weapon is clear and how to disassemble, reassemble and clean the weapons. 

"I love it," he said. "I like the interaction with the students."

Nick Montagno, combat arms instructor and retired Air Force master sergeant has been at Malmstrom for a year and teaches one to three classes a week, depending on the amount of students. 

"Always assume the weapon is loaded," Mr. Montagno said as he taught a class on the M240B machine gun. 

Augmentees have been brought in from the security forces career field to help instructors with the extra workload. They are not qualified instructors; however they assist the instructors in many ways. 

"I enjoy working at CATM very much and I have learned there is more 'behind-the-scenes' work that goes on than people that come out to fire realize," said Senior Airman Jeffrey Bybee, Combat Arms augmentee. 

Airman Bybee sets up targets, sets out ammunition and ear plugs and various other jobs. He also aids in presenting formal courses of instruction to over 7,000 personnel from airman basic to general officers in the use of all M-16 series rifles, the M-4 carbine, the M-9 pistol, the M-11 pistol, the M-870 shotgun, the M-203 grenade launcher, the MK-19 automatic grenade launcher, the M-60 machine gun, the M-240B machine gun and the M-249 automatic rifle. 

Not only are there weapons at CATM, but there are also over 10,000 spare parts that must remain accounted for and maintained. Airman Bybee and other augmentees help with this duty as well. 

The 11 instructors at CATM all have security forces background and have cross-trained into combat-arms instruction field. 

Approximately 7,000 servicemembers are trained at CATM each year, and as of Aug. 10, a total of 1,131,208 rounds have been fired at the range during the 2007 fiscal year.
In addition to Airmen assigned to the 341st Space Wing and 819th RED HORSE Squadron, Malmstrom's CATM also services the Montana Air National Guard, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Marshalls.
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