Risk Management Magazine

Combatives training is an important part of being a prepared Soldier. It provides the skills to help you protect yourself, as well as your comrades, in combat. Unfortunately, this training can sometimes take Soldiers out of the fight if they don’t take the proper precautions.

It was to be an exciting night in northern Iraq. The mission was a little different from the standard ring route to the north or south of Forward Operating Base Speicher, and I was eager to get started.

When I looked ahead, I saw an abandoned car stopped in the left lane of traffic. Beneath it, a white sheet covered someone’s body. It struck me that the body under the sheet was awfully small for an adult. Then it hit me — it was a child!